THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 


HOTEL    ROYAL    POINCIANA 


^4mong  the  Palms 


NINA  LARRE  DURYEA 

*€Je  m*  amuse  pour  vous  atnuser" 


NEW  YORK 

J.  F.  TAYLOR  &  COMPANY 

1903 


COPYRIGHT,  1903,  BY 
J.  F.  TAYLOR  AND 
COMPANY,  NEW  YORK 

Published     February^     7907 


CONTENTS 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 
An  Episode  of  Palm  Beach 

CHAPTER  1 7 

j0       CHAPTER  II 17 

tu       CHAPTER  III..  26 

B 

^       CHAPTER  IV 31 

<       CHAPTER  V 42 

BC 
CO 

JULIE'S  "SEA  SARPEN'" 

^                     A  Mythical  Truth  of  St.  Augustine 
"in      CHAPTER  I 49 

CM 

>      CHAPTER  II 58 

o 

CHAPTER  III 62 

THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 
O  Nassau 

^       CHAPTER  I 73 

g       CHAPTER  II 89 

uj       CHAPTER  III 92 

7Z      CHAPTER  IV..  ..100 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

CHAPTER  I 109 

CHAPTER  II..  .  .118 


447373 


CONTENTS 

THE  ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 
AT  ORMOND 

CHAPTER  I 129 

CHAPTI  R  II 140 

CHAPTER  III 147 

PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

An  Episode  of  Tampa 

CHAPTER  I 155 

CHAPTER  II 168 

CHAPTER  III 177 

CHAPTER  IV  .  ..181 


IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN 


slmong  the  Palms 

« IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN  " 

An  Episode  of  Palm  Beach 

Chapter  I 

A     S  the  tiny  mote  floating  in  the  sun- 
r\      beam,  does  its  part  toward  main 
taining  the  balance  of  the  Universe, 
so  the  influence  of  our  lives,  despite  their  indi 
vidual  insignificance,  cannot  be  wholly  lost." 

Cyril  Winthrop  had  but  to  close  her  eyes  on 
the  luxurious  disorder  of  her  room,  with  its 
countless  knickknacks  and  costly  appointments, 
to  imagine  herself  again  listening  to  those 
words  in  the  dimly  lit  Cathedral.  She  saw  the 
drooping,  pathetic  face  of  the  Christ  on  the  high 
altar ;  the  twinkling  lights  below,  indistinct  and 
blurred  by  the  clouds  of  incense  floating  in 
wreaths  about  the  chancel ;  the  absorbed  atten- 
7 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

tion  of  the  congregation,  white  and  black,  and 
the  impassioned  face  of  the  preacher.  The  re 
membrance  of  that  face  disturbed  her — its  ter 
rible  earnestness  had  shaken  her  habitual  com 
placency. 

"  The  influence  of  our  lives  is  never  lost." 
Was  it  true?  Was  her  selfish  life  to  mar  other 
lives  after  she  had  passed  away?  "  He,  at  least, 
believes  it,"  she  thought.  "  It  is  all  real  to  him 
— our  eternal  damnation  or  everlasting  bliss 
and — he  cares !  " 

The  previous  evening  she  had  been  sitting  in 
the  rotunda  of  Royal  Poinciana,  among  a  num 
ber  of  other  frost-bitten  Northerners  who  had 
fled  to  Palm  Beach  for  a  thaw  under  the  orange 
blossoms.  The  season's  gaieties  had  somewhat 
palled  upon  her,  and  her  usually  radiant  spirits 
were  rather  depressed.  John  Nesbitt  coming 
in  from  his  after  dinner  cigar,  had  suggested 
that  they  should  hear  the  midnight  mass  at  the 
Cathedral  in  the  town  across  the  bridge.  It 
was  Good  Friday,  and  the  services  were  to  be 
especially  impressive. 

8 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

"  Father  Gaston  is  to  preach,"  he  said,  "  and 
he  is  really  unusual.  He  is  just  over  from 
Rome,  and  has  taken  this  as  his  first  pastorate. 
They  say  he  is  as  handsome  as  Antinous,  as 
eloquent  as  Demosthenes,  and  as  spiritually  ex 
alted  as  Savonarola.  Could  you  ask  more?  " 

She  went,  much  as  she  would  to  the  play, 
with  the  result  that  she,  the  cynic  of  twenty- 
two,  lay  here  tossing  to  and  fro  on  her  comfort 
able  bed,  with  the  closing  sentence  of  the  ser 
mon  ringing  in  her  ears. 

"  If  I  could  but  know  whether  he  is  right  and 
all  my  old  ideas  wrong !  Was  his  mind  simply 
trained  to  accept  it  all,  or  is  his  faith  a  natural 
attribute?" 

She  was  conscious  of  curious  mental  uneasi 
ness.  She  rose  and  went  to  the  window.  The 
soft,  moist  air  swayed  the  curtains  inward,  and 
stirred  her  hair  as  she  stood  there.  The  light 
from  the  low-hanging  moon  of  the  Southern 
skies  rippled  through  the  lace  draperies,  and 
swept  over  her  into  the  room,  glinting  here  and 
there  on  the  polished  surface  of  the  silver  on 
9 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

her  dressing  table,,  revealing  distinctly  the  luxu 
rious  furnishings  of  the  room. 

Cyril  Winthrop  had  been  compared  by  a 
friend  from  Boston  to  the  Egyptian  obelisk  in 
Central  Park  with  its  coating  of  parafine. 
"  Like  it,  you  are  apparently  impervious  to  both 
the  burnings  and  frosts  of  life,  with  this  effect 
ive  though  intangible  mask,"  he  had  said. 

She  recalled  this  dubious  compliment  as  she 
leaned  against  the  window.  "  Am  I  really 
feeling  this,  or  am  I  simply  relishing  the  artis 
tic  side  of  circumstances  ?  How  I  wish  I  could 
look  over  and  beyond  myself !  He  might  help 
me  to  do  it:  in  fact,  he  did  make  me  forget 
myself  while  he  spoke.  I  should  like  to  meet 
the  man.  He  is  original,  clever,  and  has  the 
novelty  of  never  having  known  women.  I 
wonder  what  he  thinks  of  us !  "  With  a  sud 
den  thought,  she  stood  erect  and  motionless. 

"  I  have  it,"  she  said,  half  audibly.  "  I  will 
make  this  interesting  priest's  acquaintance." 

She  searched  about  in  the  dimness,  and  found 
her  pen,  ink  and  paper.  These  she  brought  to 
10 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

the  window,  and  kneeling  down  placed  them  on 
the  window  sill. 

"  Heavens !  "  she  thought :  "  if  Mamma 
should  awaken  and  come  in,  to  find  me  writing 
to  an  unknown  man,  and  he  a  priest !  Yet  there 
can  be  no  real  harm  in  it." 

With  one  hand  gathering  back  her  loosened 
hair,  she  held  the  pen  poised  over  the  crested 
sheet. 

"  FATHER  GASTON  : — 

"  Pardon  the  liberty  taken  by  a  stranger  sojourning 
here  for  the  Winter  months.  Chancing  to  hear  your 
sermon  last  evening  I  was  impressed  by  some  of  the 
points.  If  you  could  find  time  to  call,  it  would  be  agree 
able,  and  no  doubt  profitable  to  talk  further  with  you 
upon  the  subject  of  your  sermon. 

"  Sincerely  yours, 
"  Monday,  Royal  Poinciana.  CYRIL  WINTHROP." 

"  There !  it  is  done.  But  it  is  certainly 
somewhat  audacious.  Yet  he  won't  know 
whether  it  is  from  a  man  or  woman  till  he 
comes,  for  the  name  tells  nothing,  and  John 
says  my  handwriting  is  masculine  enough  for 
a  Wall  Street  Broker." 
ii 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

The  note,  folded  and  sealed,  was  placed  con 
spicuously  upon  her  pin-cushion  with  a  com 
placent  smile.  Then  with  a  yawn,  the  girl 
sought  her  pillow,  and  was  soon  oblivious  of 
theology  and  all  else. 

She  had  left  New  York  reluctantly,  for  she 
loved  her  brilliant  existence  there,  much  as  the 
gamin  loves  the  blaze  of  the  street  procession 
with  its  prancing  and  feathers,  and  all  the  other 
excitements  of  his  irresponsible  existence.  Her 
delicate  beauty  concealed  the  strength  and  force 
which  was  the  undercurrent  of  her  character. 
Her  sensitive,  mobile  face  appeared  the  mirror 
of  every  thought,  but  alas!  for  those  unlucky 
wights  who  so  regarded  her.  Superficially,  she 
was  candor  itself.  Few  detected  the  shrewd 
and  analytical  spirit  that  lay  ambushed  behind 
that  "  thoroughbred  "  frankness. 

It  was  an  oft-repeated  joke  of  her  mother's, 
that  when  a  child  she  was  first  taught  that  a-b 
spelled  ab  she  asked,  "  How  do  you  know  that 
it  does?"  "Because  it  does — I  was  told  so 
when  I  was  your  age,"  her  governess  replied, 
12 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

rather  staggered.  "  But  how  did  your  teacher 
know  and  her  teacher  know?  "  she  asked  again, 
and  again,  and  refused  to  accept  the  proposi 
tion.  She  required  proof  beyond  question  as 
to  all  people  and  all  things — without  it  she 
gave  neither  her  confidence  nor  belief.  Some 
people  thought  her  hard,  and  it  was  sometimes 
now  a  question  with  herself.  She  certainly 
lacked  sensitiveness,  yet  there  were  times  when 
sympathy  of  the  most  tender  sort  proved  a 
heart  far  from  indifferent.  Once,  while  driv 
ing  in  the  Park,  she  noticed  a  poor  woman  with 
young  children  trying  to  cross  the  crowded 
road,  while  the  policeman  stood  by,  wholly 
blind  to  her  frightened  efforts.  With  a  bound 
Cyril  was  out  of  the  carriage,  and  with  eyes 
aflame  guided  the  woman  across,  and  then  gave 
the  startled  guardian  of  pedestrians  a  lecture 
which  left  him  half  indignant  but  wholly  re 
pentant. 

Her  mother,  a  nervous  woman  of  amiable 
but   rather   feeble   proclivities,    regarded   her 
daughter  much  as  a  brilliant  bird  of  another 
13 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

species  than  her  own.  Her  pride  in  Cyril's 
beauty,  artistic  gowns  and  social  success,  was 
the  mainspring  of  her  existence.  She  was  emo 
tionally  religious,  and  extremely  high  church 
in  her  views,  and  spent  her  leisure  hours  in  em 
broidering  elaborated  stoles  and  altar  cloths. 
Cyril  allowed  her  to  do  as  she  liked,  but  when, 
during  a  Lent  of  special  devotion,  her  mother 
with  several  other  ladies  of  high  degree,  re 
lieved  their  over-burdened  consciences  by  scrub 
bing  the  floor  of  their  church,  Cyril  thought 
things  had  gone  far  enough.  Perhaps  it  was 
the  effect  of  such  affectations,  combined  with 
the  girl's  natural  type  of  mind,  that  left  her 
with  so  limited  a  religious  belief  For  the 
clergy,  as  a  class,  she  professed  but  little  ad 
miration.  When  on  Sunday  she  joined  other 
respectable  members  of  society  in  their  luxu 
rious  church  on  Fifth  Avenue,  and  the  sleek, 
well  kept  rector  rose  to  dilate  on  the  responsi 
bility  of  saving  human  souls,  the  girl  queried — 
"  Does  he  really  mean  all  that  ?  Can  he  believe 
that  one  single  soul  in  this  vast  congregation 
H 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN' 

is  in  danger  of  Hell  fire,  and  after  his  eloquent 
peroration  go  out  smiling  and  contented  to  his 
comfortable  dinner?  Either  he  does  not  be 
lieve  what  he  preaches,  or  else  he  is  without  a 
spark  of  love  for  his  fellowmen." 

And  was  not  the  whole  system  one  of  self 
ishness?  If  she  was  good,  she  was  told  she 
would  receive  as  a  reward  the  sugar  plum.  If 
she  was  not  good,  then  punishment  was  to  fol 
low.  And  yet  she  was  so  made  as  to  find  all 
wrong  things  attractive,  and  all  good  things 
irksome.  In  fact  she  generally  found  it  more 
pleasant  to  serve  Mammon,  and  she  did  so. 

John  Nesbitt,  whom  she  was  to  marry  the 
coming  June,  represented  in  great  part,  the 
Mammon  which  she  served.  The  son  of 
wealthy  parents,  he  had  not  joined  the  great 
army  of  money-seekers,  but  spent  several  years 
in  Europe,  where  he  picked  up  several  lan 
guages,  a  slightly  foreign  manner,  and  some 
very  good  bric-a-brac.  A  big,  kind-hearted 
fellow,  essentially  a  Club  man,  he  troubled  him 
self  very  little  about  things  beyond  his  own 

15 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

horizon.  He  adored  Cyril  as  a  being  far 
above  him  mentally,  and  since  their  engage 
ment  he  had  given  up  any  hopes  of  understand 
ing  what  he  called  her  "  vagaries." 

She  dominated  him  in  every  particular  and 
had  convinced  herself  she  loved  him.  He  had 
an  attractive  background  of  yachts,  fine  horses 
and  houses  in  New  York  and  London,  and  this 
prospective  brilliancy  surrounded  him  as  a 
golden  halo.  All  this  was  to  be  Cyril's  some 
day,  but  occasionally,  in  spite  of  the  envy  of  her 
friends,  she  felt  a  certain  contempt  for  the  sort 
of  woman  that  circumstances  were  to  make  her. 

"  At  forty,  I  shall  be  a  cool-headed,  hard 
woman  of  the  world,"  she  often  thought.  "  My 
better  impulses  will  die  a  natural  death,  and  I 
shall  not  even  regret  their  loss.  I  shall  be  a 
giver  of  fine  dinners  and  the  owner  of  a  bad 
digestion — shall  have  contempt  for  the  world 
I  live  in,  yet  be  a  slave  to  its  opinion,  and  shall 
die  a  joyless  old  woman." 


16 


IHF.  LONG  WALK 


Chapter  II 


FATHER  GASTON  stood  at  the  door  of 
the  post-office,  with  his  unopened  letters 
in  his  hand,  hesitating.  All  through  the 
long,  hot  day,  he  had  been  going  from  one  end 
of  the  town  to  the  other,  visiting  his  flock, 
nearly  all  strangers  to  him.     He  had  adapted 
himself  to  so  many  different  individualities, 
and  interested  himself  in  so  many  divergent 
channels  of  the  lives  about  him,  that  he  felt  a 
little  dazed  and  tired. 

His  great  batch  of  letters,  some  from  his 
colleagues  far  away  in  Rome,  tempted  him  to  a 
quiet  hour  before  the  Vesper  service;  but  he 
crossed  to  his  house  and  gave  them  to  a  lad  in 
a  long,  black  soutane,  who  was  watering  the 
flowers.  Then,  with  his  long,  swinging  stride 
the  priest  went  rapidly  through  the  ugly  little 
streets  of  the  town  to  the  bridge  which  led  to 
the  paradise  of  palms  and  blossoms  which  sur 
round  the  hotels.  The  previous  day  he  had 
received  a  note  from  someone  who  might  be 
17 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

leaving,  and  under  the  stately  Colonial  pillars 
of  the  Poinciana  entrance  he  paused  and  drew 
from  his  wallet  a  square  envelope,  addressed  in 
a  bold  masculine  hand.  He  glanced  at  the  sig 
nature,  then  passed  on  through  the  great  hall, 
with  its  group  of  men  and  women  scattered 
among  the  palms,  through  the  rotunda,  to  the 
desk.  More  than  one  head  turned  as  he  passed, 
and  a  bell-boy  nudging  his  companion,  asked — 

"  Who's  dat  stunner  any  how  ?  He's  like  de 
bery  king  hisself  ?  " 

The  smiling  clerk  forgot  to  twirl  his  mous 
tache  as  he  looked  into  the  grave,  beautiful 
face  of  the  priest. 

"  Will  you  kindly  send  my  card  to  Mr.  Cyril 
Winthrop?" 

The  clerk  turned  several  leaves  of  the  register 
before  him. 

"  There  is  no  Mr.  Winthrop  stopping  here," 
he  replied,  "  but  a  Miss  Cyril  Winthrop  of  New 
York,  is  here." 

Father  Gaston  looked  puzzled  and  opened 
the  note  again. 

18 


"  IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

"  Well,  she  may,  perhaps,  be  the  person." 
Then  after  a  little  pause.  "  You  may  send  up 
the  card." 

The  clerk  touched  a  bell.  "  Room  248,  and 
the  gentleman  is  waiting." 

The  boy  returned  in  a  moment.  "  Dis  way, 
sar,  if  you  please,  sar,  one  flight  up." 

With  an  impish  grin  thrown  to  his  compan 
ions,  he  led  the  way  along  the  thickly  carpeted 
hall,  pausing  before  a  white-paneled  door.  He 
knocked.  Through  the  open  transom  came 
only  a  murmur  of  voices  and  tinkling  as  of 
glass.  A  louder  knock  brought  a  clear  "  Come 
in !  "  The  door  opened.  A  confused  crowd  of 
youthful  faces  met  Father  Gaston's  eyes.  From 
the  corner  of  the  room  a  tall,  girlish  figure  ad 
vanced  with  outstretched  hand. 

"  Father  Gaston,  is  it  not  ?  "  she  asked.  "  I 
am  the  writer  of  the  note,  and  thank  you  so 
much  for  coming." 

She  led  him  to  a  divan  before  which  stood 
the  samovar  and,  drawing  aside  her  delicate 
draperies,  motioned  him  to  the  vacant  seat  be- 
19 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

side  her.  The  ripple  of  voices  and  laughter 
about  them  dropped  sensibly  to  a  lower  key. 
John  Nesbitt  crossed  to  Mrs.  Winthrop,  who 
with  lorgnette  raised  was  coolly  surveying  the 
stranger. 

"Who  is  he?"  she  asked,  with  suppressed 
curiosity.  "  Isn't  he  superb?'" 

John  smiled  and  leaned  toward  her. 

"  He  is  Father  Gaston  of  whom  everyone  is 
talking,  but  only  Heaven  knows  how  Cyril  got 
him  to  five  o'clock  tea.  The  man  is  just  out  of 
a  Roman  College,  and  presumably  knows  no 
more  of  social  life  than  a  monk  of  the  middle 
ages.  But  Cyril  has  captured  the  lion  in  some 
mysterious  way.  Just  like  her — but  odd  she 
didn't  mention  it." 

Meanwhile  Father  Gaston,  having  placed  his 
broad-brimmed  hat  on  the  floor  beside  him,  was 
endeavoring  to  adapt  himself  to  circumstances 
as  best  he  could. 

"  One  or  two  lumps  ?  "  asked  Cyril  with  ut 
most  ease,  sugar  tongs  poised  over  his  cup,  and 
a  glance  at  his  grave  face,  which  she  was  glad 
20 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

showed  no  sign  of  embarrassment  or  regret. 
"  No  doubt  he  is  inwardly  praying  that  his  eyes 
may  be  turned  away  from  beholding  vanity," 
she  thought. 

"  It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  come,"  she  said. 
"  for  I  understand  you  have  recently  settled 
here,  and  must  necessarily  have  much  to  oc 
cupy  your  time." 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure,"  he  replied, 
with  a  bright  smile,  "  and  still  more  to  find 
that  my  sermons  can  reach  beyond  my  parish. 
I  really  did  not  know  it  was  a  lady  who  asked 
me  to  call.  But,"  he  added,  "  I  have  sisters  and 
I  know  the  value  of  woman's  work  in  the 
world,  and  shall  be  most  happy  to  be  of  any 
assistance  to  Miss  Winthrop." 

Cyril  found  herself  coloring  at  being  taken 
for  a  "  worker." 

"  Oh !  I  beg  you  to  understand  that  I  am  not 
a  Roman  Catholic :  indeed  I  am  not  a  very  good 
Protestant.  I  was  simply  impressed  strongly 
by  your  views  of  life,  and  I  very  impulsively 
resolved  to  ask  you  to  help  me  to  accomplish 

21 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

some  little  good  while  here  during  March.  We 
have  come  to  rest  from  our  gaieties  in  New 
York,  but  what  with  the  out-door  life  all  day, 
and  dancing  every  night,  one  is  more  tired  than 
before.  It  was  your  sermon  of  Good-Friday 
which  made  me  feel  still  more  tired  of  it  all." 
She  paused  and  glanced  at  Father  Gaston's 
strong  face. 

"  I  am  only  too  glad  Miss  Winthrop,  if  any 
words  of  mine  helped  you  to  realize  the  im 
portance  of  earnest  living.  Believe  me,  it  is 
that  which  makes  noble  men  and  women. 
There  are  many  things  to  be  done  here  in 
Palm  Beach,  which  I  feel  sure  you  could  do 
ably,  and  which  would  benefit  you  as  well  as 
others." 

Cyril,  thinking  no  more  of  the  incongruous 
surroundings,  leaned  forward,  her  eyes  bril 
liant  and  eager.  "Only  tell  me  what,"  she  said, 
"  and  I'll  try.  You  don't  know  how  glad  I 
should  be.  So  far,  my  life  hasn't  been  much 
to  boast  of:  the  world  would  get  on  quite  as 
well  without  me." 

22 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

"  If  you  are  really  in  want  of  something  to 
do,"  Father  Gaston  said  with  candid  interest, 
"  I  can  tell  you  now  of  a  young  girl,  no  older 
than  yourself,  but  poor,  terribly  poor,  who  is 
lying  ill  in  such  poverty  as  you  doubtless  never 
dreamed  of.  She  is  one  of  a  family  of  poor 
whites — '  Crackers,'  they  are  called  here,  who 
live  in  a  shanty  across  the  lake.  The  girl,  Han 
nah  Neal,  is  suffering  for  the  bare  necessities, 
and  if  you  could  see  and  aid  her,  I  should  be 
very  grateful." 

Cyril  assented  eagerly,  and  while  getting  ex 
plicit  directions,  her  mother  approached.  Cyril 
presented  Father  Gaston  and  left  them  together 
in  animated  conversation.  He  observed  the 
girl  as  she  moved  about  the  room.  "  She  is  as 
full  of  force  as  a  race-horse,"  he  thought.  Her 
frankness  and  her  course  in  seeking  his  help 
puzzled  him.  Women  he  knew  were  full  of 
impulses  and  difficult  to  understand,  but  this 
girl's  face  was  noble  beneath  her  apparent  flip 
pancy  ;  surely  her  nature  must  be  so  too.  Her 
strong  individuality  impressed  him,  and  Pas- 
23 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

cal's  trite  saying  came  into  his  mind  "  Si  le  nez 
de  Cleopatre  eut  plus  etc,  ou  plus  court,  peut- 
etre  toute  la  surface  de  la  terre  aurait  changee." 
Women  were  certainly  a  power  in  the  world. 

She  came  back  to  him. 

"  I  want  to  present  my  friend  Mr.  Nesbitt," 
she  said  gaily,  and  while  they  talked,  stood  si 
lently  by,  taking  mental  measurement  of  the 
two  men.  When  the  priest  took  leave,  with 
the  savoir  faire  of  an  accomplished  man  of  the 
world,  she  listened  to  John  Nesbitt's  good-na 
tured  opinion,  "  Father  Gaston  was  an  all  round 
jolly  chap,"  with  an  expression  that  mystified 
him.  At  dinner  also,  he  found  his  usually  gay 
fiancee  somewhat  reflective  and  subdued. 
Afterward,  while  sauntering  through  the  log 
gias  he  rallied  her  on  her  mood.  She  roused 
herself,  obviously  with  an  effort. 

"  You  are  satisfied  with  me  just  as  I  am — as 
I  am,  are  you  not  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Of  course,  my  Cyril,"  he  replied.  "  I  would 
not  have  you  different  in  any  way.  You  are 


24 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 
just  the  prettiest,  best  dressed  girl  going,  and  " 

"But,"  she  interrupted,  "for  all  that  I'm 
going  to  try  to  be  different.  I  don't  like  being 
merely  pretty  and  well  dressed." 

"  Now  don't  frighten  me,  my  dear  girl,"  he 
said  laughingly.  "  I  shall  be  afraid  of  seeing 
a  halo  shine  around  your  head  if  you  are  going 
to  be  more  perfect." 


Chapter  III 


A  ONE  story,  white-washed  shanty,  built 
on  the  shore  of  Lake  George.  The 
waters  flowed  at  full  tide  almost  to 
the  door,  and  at  every  ebb  left  its  refuse. 
Planks  were  laid  from  the  road  to  the  en 
trance,  over  which  Cyril  Winthrop  and  her 
maid  found  their  way  with  some  difficulty. 
The  air  was  redolent  with  noxious  odors  from 
the  gasworks  near  by  and  insect  life  was  evi 
dent,  in  all  the  activity  of  a  Southern  latitude. 
After  knocking  without  answer,  they  took  ad 
vantage  of  the  half  opened  door,  and  entered. 
There  was  no  one  to  be  seen  in  this  room,  half 
chamber  and  half  kitchen.  The  floor,  through 
the  cracks  of  which  the  moist  ground  below  was 
visible,  had  apparently  never  known  a  brcom, 
and  upon  a  small  stove  a  kettle  sent  up  a  thin 
curl  of  steam.  Cyril  passed  on  to  a  door  at  the 
farther  end  of  the  room  and  upon  opening  it, 
an  exclamation  of  astonishment  and  pity  es 
caped  her.  On  a  cot,  covered  with  a  wretched, 
26 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

patched  quilt,  lay  a  girl,  her  pallid  face  turned 
to  the  wall.  Tangled  curls  lay  in  matted  rings 
about  her  forehead,  and  one  hand  held  a  small 
brown,  wooden  crucifix.  The  sun  played 
through  the  window,  from  the  sill  of  which  a 
chicken  took  flight  at  their  entrance.  Cyril 
crossed  to  the  motionless  girl  and  softly  touched 
her  claw-like  hand.  A  pair  of  sunken  brown 
eyes  opened  and  stared  as  though  at  a  vision. 

"  Father  Gaston  has  sent  me  to  you,"  she 
said,  "  I  am  to  try  and  make  you  more  comfort 
able.  Don't  talk  now — wait  till  I  arrange 
things  a  little."  And  at  the  mention  of  the 
priest's  name  came  an  expression  of  satisfaction 
into  the  wan  face.  "  Dobbs,"  turning  to  her 
maid,  standing  horrified  in  the  doorway, 
"  bring  the  basket.  Now  go  and  see  if  you  can 
find  some  clean,  warm  water." 

A  fever  of  energy  possessed  her.  Out  of  the 
basket  she  brought  a  bottle  of  wine,  some  bis 
cuits  and  a  change  of  linen.  Dobbs  returned 
with  water,  and  together  they  worked  over  the 
girl,  who  submitted  to  them  with  dull,  pas- 
27 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

sive  eyes,  and  smiled  faintly,  when  clean  and 
refreshed  she  was  laid  back  on  her  pillow.  Then 
Dobbs  was  sent  to  the  nearest  shop  for  dark 
cambric  and  tacks.  Cyril  drew  a  chair  to  the 
bed  and  sat  down.  The  sick  girl  looked  with 
silent  wonder  at  the  beautiful,  pitying  face  bent 
over  her. 

"  Now  tell  me  something  about  yourself,  if 
you  are  able,"  she  said.  "  Why  are  you  here 
alone?" 

Cyril  had  to  bend  lower  to  catch  the  whis 
pered  answer. 

"  Father  has  to  go  off  to  work  every  day. 
The  colored  woman  next  door  comes  in  now 
and  then,  but  she  has  her  own  family  to  look 
after." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  ill,  Hannah?  " 

"  Two  months,  Miss.  It's  slow  fever.  I 
wouldn't  mind  so  much  if  I  could  sleep  more." 

"  Poor  child,"  said  Cyril.  "  No  wonder  with 
this  heat  and  flies.  We'll  remedy  all  that." 

Presently  the  girl  asked  timidly,  ".Did  you 
say  Father  Gaston  sent  you  ?  " 
28 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

"  Yes,  Hannah." 

The  pallid  face  brightened.  "  He  is  good, 
Miss,  he  is.  He  sends  things  to  eat,  and  sends 
the  doctor  too,  and  has  sat  where  you  are  talk 
ing  so  beautiful.  It  rests  me  to  look  at  him." 

The  girl's  eyes  closed.  "  So  this  is  poverty," 
thought  Cyril  She  looked  about  the  bare,  ugly 
little  room,  and  thought  of  her  own,  at  home. 
Here  was  a  glimpse  of  a  world  of  which  she 
had  never  dreamed — a  world  where  ease  and 
pleasure  were  only  names,  and  where  want  and 
suffering  were  terrible  facts.  It  seemed  to  her 
as  though  a  great,  gay  bubble  had  been  pricked. 
Could  she  ever  laugh  and  dance  as  gaily  as  be 
fore,  with  this  picture  of  misery  to  remember? 
And  such  scenes  were  the  daily  portion  of 
Father  Gaston.  That  splendid  strength  was 
spent  in  alleviating  such  woes.  In  this  life  of 
total  self-abnegation,  without  the  ordinary  ties 
of  human  affection,  he  was  to  live  till  he  died. 
There  were,  of  course,  Protestant  clergymen 
who  were  noble  and  self-sacrificing  men  too, 
but  she  had  met  few  like  Father  Gaston.  What 
29 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

a  pity  he  happened  to  be  a  priest.  He  could  be 
such  a  power  among  thousands  like  herself. 

Dobbs  stood  in  the  doorway.  Cyril  mounted 
on  a  nail  keg,  tacked  the  green  curtain  over  the 
window,  and  a  net  across  the  bed,  and  the  floor 
was  swept.  When  all  was  done,  Cyril  viewed 
her  work  with  pride.  With  a  warm  feeling  at 
her  heart  she  stroked  back  the  girl's  curls. 

"  I  will  come  again  soon,  Hannah.  Mean 
while  let  your  father  get  anything  you  need," 
and  she  tucked  a  crisp  banknote  beneath  the 
pillow. 

When  she  was  gone,  the  girl's  eyes  closed. 
"  It  must  be  something  like  this  to  have  a 
mother,"  she  thought. 


Chapter  IV 


SEVEN  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Cyril, 
awake  and  restless,  resolved  to  go  for  a 
walk  in  the  March  air,  now  laden  with 
the  odor  of  orange  blossoms  which  whitened 
the  groves  in  and  around  Palm  Beach.  There 
was  scarcely  yet  any  sign  of  life  as  she  strolled 
towards  the  water  which  glimmered  through 
the  garden  shrubbery.  Hatless  she  strolled  on 
under  the  gigantic,  frond-like  sweep  of  the 
cocoa  palms  which  bordered  the  walk  by  the 
lake.  Turning  sharply  to  the  left,  she  went 
on  through  oleander,  poinciana,  orange  and 
lemon  groves,  to  the  beach.  How  beautiful 
was  this  fresh  awakening  world!  She  shaded 
her  eyes  with  her  hand,  and  looked  about.  The 
gray  line  of  the  beach  framed  the  ocean's  deep 
blue  and  the  paler  blue  near  the  shore,  with  its 
line  of  thundering  breakers.  A  faint  haze 
hung  over  land  and  water,  foretelling  heat  for 
the  coming  day.  She  threw  up  both  arms  in: 
very  gladness  of  the  scene  before  her,  when 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

hearing  steps  behind  her,  she  turned  to  see 
Father  Gaston  coming  toward  her.  He  looked 
up,  smiling  at  her  confusion.  During  the  past 
fortnight  they  had  not  only  met  beside  the  sick 
girl's  bed,  but  he  had  availed  himself  of  Mrs. 
Winthrop's  earnest  invitation  to  repeat  his  pre 
vious  visit,  and  the  formality  of  a  new  acquain 
tanceship  had  sensible  lessened. 

"  I  am  as  much  astonished  to  find  myself  here 
as  you  are.  It  was  one  of  my  impulses,"  said 
Cyril,  laughing. 

"  I  want  to  thank  you  for  what  you  are  ac 
complishing  at  the  Deals,"  he  said.  "  The  girl 
talks  of  you  continually,  and  although  she  is 
not  much  better  of  her  illness,  the  change  in  her 
surroundings  is  like  new  life  to  her.  She  calls 
you  '  the  Angel  Miss.'  " 

"  I  too,  am  helped,"  Cyril  replied,  looking 
off  into  the  distance  with  a  softness  in  the  gray 
depths  of  her  eyes  which  touched  him. 

"  There  is  material  here  for  making  a  noble 
woman,"  he  thought.  "  Who  would  not  wish 
to  help  her?" 

32 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

The  girl  turned  to  him.  "  I  cannot  imagine 
how  you  ever  became  a  priest,  you  seem  so 
much  a  man  of  the  world  in  many  ways.  Yet 
it  must  have  been  of  your  own  free  will.  Would 
you  mind  telling  me  about  it  sometime?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  with  great  pleasure,"  he  re 
plied.  "  It  was  an  odd  chance  which  turned 
my  steps  into  the  Church." 

"  I  should  like  very  much  to  know  it,"  Cyril 
said,  wistfully. 

He  paced  up  and  down  for  a  few  moments 
in  silence,  then  seated  himself  beside  her  on  the 
sand. 

"  Thirteen  years  ago  I  was  studying  in  Hei 
delberg.  Like  many  of  the  students  there,  I  led 
a  gay  life.  My  parents  had  died  in  my  child 
hood,  and  left  me  a  considerable  fortune,  so  I 
had  no  restraint  save  my  own  self-respect.  One 
Spring,  several  friends  and  myself  started  off 
for  a  trip  through  Holland  and  Belgium.  We 
were  a  merry  crowd,  and  in  for  all  sorts  of 
pranks,  though  eager  for  the  education  which 
travel  will  bring.  Some  of  us  were  devoted  to 
33 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

art,  and  among  other  galleries  we  visited  the 
'  Wirtz  '  gallery,  in  Brussels.  Have  you  been 
there?" 

"  Oh !  yes,"  said  Cyril.  "  I  well  remember 
those  painted  nightmares." 

"  Yes,  some  of  the  pictures  are  nightmares, 
but  many  are  remarkable  in  other  ways.  Do 
you  remember  one  called  '  After  Death  ?  '  A 
figure  in  gray,  vaporous  garments  is  floating  up 
through  Space — his  body  lying  below  him,  and 
his  face  is  a  wonderful  portrayal  of  mysterious 
knowledge.  He  seems  to  see  into  the  beyond." 

"  Yes,  I  remember  that  face,  and  how  it 
haunted  me." 

"  That  night  we  returned  late  from  the  Op 
era.  I  lay  for  a  long  time  restless,  thinking 
over  the  events  of  the  day.  That  picture  fas 
cinated  me,  and  falling  asleep,  its  mysterious 
power  followed  me  into  the  land  of  dreams. 
I  dreamt  that  I  was  the  departing  soul  of  that 
picture,  and  that  it  was  my  body  stretched  be 
low.  A  long  life  lay  behind  me,  faint  and  far 
away.  The  strongest  impression  I  then  had  of 
34 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

that  life,  was  pain.  I  remembered  a  home 
where  my  life  was  swayed  by  both  good  and 
evil  impulses ;  where  I  had  loved,  and  had  lost 
those  I  loved,  and  where  I  had  suffered,  and 
was  glad,  much  as  other  men.  Religious  belief 
had  not  been  an  important  factor  in  my  life, 
and  above  all,  what  seemed  to  me  then  intelli 
gent  research,  had  served  to  stunt  that  upward 
growth  which  is  the  divine  tendency  of  every 
human  soul. 

"  Then  in  my  retrospection,  I  saw  myself  an 
old  man.  My  blood  flowed  less  swiftly,  my 
steps  grew  uncertain,  and  I  knew  that  soon  I 
should  pass  through  the  gates  of  Death,  into 
the  untrodden  realms  beyond.  At  last  I  lay  on 
a  bed  of  pain.  Old  interests  fell  away  from  me, 
and  I  partly  regained  the  faith  I  had  as  a  child. 
As  I  laid  there,  I  wondered  what  and  where  I 
should  awaken  at  the  moment  my  soul  should 
leave  its  home  of  human  flesh,  and  whether  it 
would  miss  its  old  companion,  and  feel  its  way 
like  a  child  into  Eternity,  with  uncertain  steps 
and  groping  intelligence.  Would  the  Christ 
35 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

be  there,  and  would  I  know  Him,  or  had  He, 
too,  been  but  an  ideal  of  the  human  mind  ? 

"  The  supreme  moment  came.  There  was 
weeping  and  grieving  about  me — a  final  agony, 
and — I  lived! 

"  I  was  hurrying  through  trackless  Space, 
the  wide  Universe  seemed  all  my  own,  and  in 
that  immensity  and  profundity,  I  was  alone 
with  the  responsibility  of  my  soul." 

The  priest  rose  and  stood  before  his  listener, 
his  head  bared  to  the  rising  sun,  with  features 
glowing  as  with  an  inspiration.  Cyril  sat  with 
hands  tightly  clasped,  and  eyes  fixed  in  rapt  at 
tention — lost  to  everything  in  the  fascination 
of  his  eloquence. 

Still  standing,  he  continued,  "  Soon  from 
immeasurable  heights  and  depths  a  sound  of 
unutterable  sadness  floated  around  me,  like  the 
sighs  of  countless  souls.  A  murmuring  as  of 
helpless  woe  burdened  the  air,  which  I  now  per 
ceived  was  thronged  with  other  shades.  They 
moved  on  with  anxious  faces,  their  eyes  fixed 
on  a  golden  light  beyond.  This  light  shone  with 
36 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

great  brilliancy,  but,  fell  not  upon  us.  Some 
rays  of  its  vivid  splendor  stretched  down  to 
Earth  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  I  drew  near  one 
of  these  shades. 

"'Where  can  I  find  Him?'  I  asked.  He 
looked  on  me  with  inscrutable  eyes. 

"  '  He  is  yonder  in  the  light,'  he  replied. 

"  '  Can  I  not  go  to  Him  ?  '  I  asked  again. 

"  '  No,  we  cannot  reach  Him,  till  we  lose  all 
earthly  taint/ 

"  I  knew  then  that  the  sighing  was  the  long 
and  unavailing  regret  for  lost  opportunities, 
and  I,  remembering  my  own  lost  chances  for 
gaining  that  Kingdom,  sighed  too.  Alas !  that 
terrible  remorse.  It  burned  within  me  as  I  hur 
ried  on  and  on,  seeking  some  spot  in  those 
wide  heavens,  where  I  could  for  a  time  forget. 

"  But  hope  did  not  quite  desert  me.  That 
shining  cross  stretched  down  to  Earth  was  a 
bow  of  promise.  Above  the  thunders  of  the 
Universe,  music,  grand  yet  tender  reached  me 
— songs  of  triumphant  thanksgiving  and  exalta 
tion.  These  glorious  harmonies  came  from 
37 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

glistening  beings  who  were  coming  and  going 
in  the  midst  of  that  shining  splendor.  Their 
faces  I  could  not  see  for  the  brightness,  but  al 
ways  that  sound  of  echoing  triumph.  It  fell 
on  my  saddened  spirit  with  soothing  promise. 
I  was  cheered,  uplifted.  The  divine  spark 
within  me  glowed  with  quickened  resolution. 

"  Oh !  why  had  I  not  cherished  that  light  ? 
Why  had  I  allowed  trivial  things  of  life  to  dull 
its  shining?  Those  years  on  earth  were  so 
short,  and  Eternity  was  so  pitilessly  long.  For 
how  many  cycles  should  I  know  this  dreary 
waiting,  before  I  could  fly  to  that  Kingdom  of 
Love. 

"  I  awoke,  my  whole  being  seething  with  ex 
citement.  Those  sights  and  sounds  still  bade 
me  live  no  longer  for  self ;  to  remember  the  in 
exorable  law  of  retribution.  I  knew  that  as  I 
lived  on  earth,  so  would  my  other  life  be.  As 
I  had  the  essence  of  God  within  me,  I  should 
try  to  live  as  a  god. 

"  And  it  was  thus  I  became  a  priest,"  he 
said,  after  a  pause.  "  Do  you  think  me  a  vi 
sionary?" 

38 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

"  If  you  had  been  a  visionary  you  would  have 
regretted  the  step  long  ago,  but  I  am  sure  you 
never  have." 

"  No !  we  never  regret  serving  one  we  love." 

"  I  wish  I  could  realize  something  of  your 
idea  of  God,"  she  said.  "  My  idea  of  Him  is 
different  from  yours." 

"How  different?  How  do  you  think  of 
Him  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  He  has  always  been  to  me  a  tremendous 
power,  but  not  so  tender  and  loving  as  your 
dream  would  make  Him.  I  think  I  could  ex 
press  myself  better  with  my  pen  than  in  words. 
I  always  can." 

"  Do  so  then,  Miss  Winthrop.' 

"  I  will  try,"  she  answered,  rising. 

"  Then  I  know  you  will,"  and  for  the  first 
time  he  held  out  his  hand  to  her  for  "  good 
bye." 

She  left  him  to  continue  his  walk  and  re 
turned  to  the  hotel.  During  the  day  she  took 
out  her  folio  containing  many  half  written 
things  in  which  her  natural  taste  had  found 
partial  outlet,  and  determined  to  do  her  best  for 
39 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

a  kind  if  able  critic.  After  some  thought  she 
enclosed  the  following  lines  to  him  without 
comment. 

O  star-emblazoned  canopy  of  God, 

Thou  hid'st  from  mortal  eyes  His  majesty, 

When  in  His  power  he  walks  high  heaven 

To  view  His  universe.    When  Time  was  born 

His  finger  touched  our  sphere  to  awful  speed. 

The  clash  and  roar  of  nature's  forces  He 

Has  tuned  to  gentle,  rythmic  harmony, 

And  from  the  heights  of  His  omnipotence 

Beheld  and  bounded  with  His  reaching  eye 

Wide  space !    seen  whirling  worlds  burn  out  their  flight 

To  lose  themselves  in  void — Thus  God  is  great. 

At  dinner  a  note  was  handed  her.  She  in 
stinctively  knew  from  whom  it  came,  and  did 
not  open  it,  but  later  she  slipped  into  the  de^ 
serted  reading-room,  and  broke  the  seal. 

"Dear  Miss  Winthrop,"  the  note  ran.  "Your 
conception  of  God's  greatness  is  admirable. 
Powerful  and  omnipotent  He  is,  but  above  all, 
and  over  all,  He  is  love.  This  love  is  as  wide 
as  the  Universe,  as  deep  as  the  sea.  Perhaps 
these  lines  will  help  to  make  my  meaning  clear, 
and  serve  to  complete  what  you  have  so  well 

begun. 

40 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

O  tiny  insect,  who  with  cunning  care 
Spread's!  out  thy  frail  and  fairy  threads  to  build 
Thyself  a  home,  who  taught  thee  thy  wise  art? 
'Twas  the  same  God,  who  with  most  tender  care 
Creates  and  guards  the  humblest  life  of  earth, 
And  in  the  depths  of  ocean's  darkest  cave 
Upholds  each  fragile  frond  of  tide-swept  fern. 
The  essence  of  this  life  is  but  a  tear; 
But  not  one  falls  unseen,  unknown  of  Him. 
The  ever-circling  mantle  of  His  love 
He  wraps  around  us — guides  each  faltering  step. 
The  shadow  of  His  wing  casts  cooling  shade 
On  life's  bare  burning  sands. — Thus  God  is  love. 

"  Sincerely  yours, 
"  MAURICE  GASTON." 


Chapter  V 


"Oh!  God,  take  my  heart,  for  I  cannot  give  it  to 
Thee.  Keep  it  for  I  cannot  keep  it  for  Thee.  Save  me 
in  spite  of  myself. — Fenelon. 


B 


"  TARING   the 

wait  here." 

Cyril  stood  at  the  water  edge  at 
the  foot  of  the  garden.  The  twinkling  lights 
suspended  among  the  cocoa  palms,  threw  shafts 
of  red  and  yellow  color  across  the  masses  of 
shrubbery.  An  occasional  figure  flitted  along 
the  paths,  but  the  scented  silence  was  only 
broken  by  the  distant  boom  of  waves  and  the 
rustle  of  leaves  in  the  dusky  recesses  of  the 
garden. 

Cyril  leaned  over  the  water.  Against  a 
background  of  blurred  stars  a  radiant  image 
smiled  up  at  her — gleaming  neck  and  arms, 
white,  like  pearl  in  the  shimmering  waters. 
She  was  to  lead  a  Cotillion  at  one  of  the  cot 
tages  that  evening,  the  last  in  her  well-beloved 
Palm  Beach. 

42 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

The  breezes  stirred  her  airy  draperies  as  she 
stood  there. 

'  Yes,  you  are  drowned,  Cyril  Winthrop  ?  " 
she  whispered.  "  All  your  egotisms  and  vani 
ties  are  quite  drowned.  I  shall  leave  you  here 
alone  with  the  stars.  Ah !  you  need  not  smile 
and  shake  your  head  at  me,  foolish  girl.  They 
call  you  fair,  I  know,  but  I  have  learned  that 
one  must  be  good  and  wise  as  well  as  fair.  I 
leave  you  here,  my  old  self,  and  go  back  to  the 
world  with  higher  ambitions." 

With  an  impulsive  gesture  the  girl  plucked  a 
rose  from  those  at  her  breast,  and  tossed  its 
petals  upon  her  reflection. 

"  See  I  scatter  those  leaves  over  you  my  old 
self — They  are  for — " 

She  paused,  and  turned  with  a  start,  for 
mirrored  beside  her  own  face  under  the  float 
ing  rose-leaves  was  the  face  of  the  priest. 

"  Ah !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  I  began  to  fear  you 
were  not  coming  to  say  '  good-bye.'  But  what 
has  happened?  "  she  asked,  as  she  saw  his  pale, 
grave  face. 

43 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

"  I  see  it  is  hardly  the  proper  time  to  speak 
of  such  a  subject,  but  I  wanted  you  to  know  that 
Hannah  Deal  died  this  afternoon.  Your  name 
was  almost  the  last  on  her  lips,  and  she  asked 
me  to  bring-  you  this." 

He  handed  Cyril  the  little  brown  crucifix. 
The  girl  took  it  with  quivering  lips. 

"  You  believe  she  is  happy,  Father  Gaston, 
do  you  not  ?  "  But  he  did  not  reply.  His  face 
was  an  enigma.  Was  it  a  feeling  of  repulsion 
at  the  girl's  frivolous  aspect  in  her  ball  gown, 
or  was  his  human  heart  stirred  by  the  vision  of 
beauty  and  tenderness  ?  Did  he  picture  his  life 
as  it  might  have  been,  strengthened  and  en 
riched  by  the  sympathy  of  a  noble  woman  ?  It 
was  but  a  moment  and  he  replied — 

"  Yes,  I  believe  it.  And  you — you  are  happy 
too,  are  you  not — quite  happy?  " 

"  Oh !  yes,  of  course  I  must  be  happy,"  she 
said,  with  an  effort  at  a  smile.  "But  without 
your  guidance  I  fear  I  shall  fall  from  grace." 

"  God  forbid,"  he  replied  earnestly.  "  Say 
often  this  little  prayer  of  Fenelon's  in  the  midst 
44 


"IT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN" 

of  your  pleasures.  '  Oh !  God,  take  my  heart, 
for  I  cannot  give  it  to  Thee.  Keep  it  for  I  can 
not  keep  it  for  Thee.  Save  me  in  spite  of  my 
self.'  Keep  the  cross,  it  will  remind  you — " 

"  Did  you  think  I  was  never  coming  ?  "  said 
John  Nesbitt  gaily,  as  he  joined  them.  "  Good 
evening,  Father  Gaston — I  am  glad  to  see  you 
before  we  leave.  But  you  will  go  with  us  as  far 
as  the  house,  won't  you.  We  can  talk  on  the 
way.  Come  Cyril,  here  are  our  bicycle  chairs." 

"  Father  Gaston  asked  me  if  I  was  happy, 
John,"  the  girl  said,  after  leaving  the  priest. 

"  And  what  did  you  tell  him,  dear?  " 

"  I  told  him  I  was,  of  course,"  she  answered. 
"  How  could  I  be  otherwise?  " 

But  that  evening,  as  she  floated  about,  laden 
with  flowers,  smiling  and  radiant,  a  pain  was 
on  her  heart,  where  the  cross  lay. 


45 


JULIE'S  "SEA-SARPEN' 


JULIE'S  "SEA-SARPEN' 

A  mythical  truth  of  St.  Augustine 

Chapter  I 


i 


^  TOLE  yer,  I  seed  it  wid  mine  own  eyes, 
and  heard  it  a-snortin',  an  a-lashin'  ob 
its  tail  t'rough  de  water  like  it  wus  a 
cussin'.  It  war  right  off  de  ole  Fort,  an  I  a- 
sittin'  on  de  wall.  Dat  it  war  a  sho'  nuff  sea- 
sarpen'  I  knows  es  well  as  dat  chile  Wash'nton 
knows  Fs  its  fader." 

The  "  chile  "  referred  to  stood  a  shining  in 
stance  of  filial  credulity,  one  hand  as  far  in  his 
mouth  as  possible,  the  other  holding  up  its 
scant  apparel,  disclosing  a  pair  of  knees  in 
sculptured  ebony.  But  finding  himself  the  sub 
ject  of  solemn  declamation  before  an  awe-in 
spiring  assembly,  and  probably  with  the  mem 
ory  of  recent  and  decided  impressions  that  he 
had  indeed  a  father's  authority  liable  to  be 
shown  again  at  any  moment,  the  dusky  cherub 
49 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

forthwith  uncorked  his  mouth  and  with  "  eyes 
in  fine  frenzy  rolling,"  emitted  a  howl  of  terror. 

"  Lor'  sakes,  Julib,  don't  scar'  de  chile,"  ex 
claimed  Ophelia,  its  mother,  as  the  child  buried 
its  head,  ostrich-like,  among  her  skirts,  to  avert 
the  threatened  danger. 

Julib  blinked  defiance  on  his  circle  of  audit 
ors,  a  grotesque  group  in  the  fire-lit  cabin.  A 
dozen  men  and  women  sat  round  the  blaze, 
their  heads  rolling  from  side  to  side  as  they 
gave  vent  to  admiring  chuckles,  their  attention 
divided  between  Julib's  eloquence,  and  the  odor 
iferous  hoe-cakes  upon  the  hearth. 

In  a  shadowy  corner  sat  two  old  men,  Dea 
con  Jones  and  Brudder  Williams,  their  heads 
close  together.  They  seemed  to  feel  the  suspi 
cion  of  glances  thrown  toward  them  and  moved 
uneasily,  their  angular  figures  casting  ugly 
shadows  on  the  wall  behind  them. 

"  Yo'  needn't  be  a  noddin'  ob  yo'  heads,  yo' 

two,"  cried  Ophelia,  with  an  ireful  wag  of  her 

turbaned  head.     "  Yo'  all  knows  Julib  hab  a 

tongue  ob  truth.    Yo'  jest  wait  till  yo'  heah  de 

50 


JULIE'S  "SEA-SARPEN* 

whole  ob  de  story,  'fore  yo'  turns  inter  doubtin' 
Thomasses." 

Silence  fell  on  the  circle.  Washington  with 
legs  wide  apart  stood  before  the  narrator. 

"  Wai,  my  frens,"  said  Julib,  arranging  his 
scarlet  necktie  with  a  preparatory  flourish,  "  it 
happened  disser  way.  Yo'  all  knows  ob'  de 
important  position  I  hab  es  de  dish-washer  at 
de  Alcazar,  an'  dat  Fse  a  man  ob  great  des- 
ponsibilities,  an'  dat  I  ain't  no  fule  ob  a  chicken. 
Don'  yo'?" 

"  Yes !  yes !  we  all  knows,"  came  from  sev 
eral  mouths. 

"  Wai,  night  'fore  las',  I  wus  sittin'  on  de 
slopin'  wall  ob  de  ole  Fort  neah  de  water,  a 
smokin'  an'  a  cogitatin',  when  off  ter  de  right  I 
sees  a  line  a  movin'  on  de  water.  Dey  warn't 
no  moon,  so  I  couldn't  see  berry  clar,  but  dat 
line  got  nearer  an'  nearer,  an'  bigger  an'  bigger, 
an'  soon  I  discubbered  it  war  a  livin',  movin' 
bein',  wat  hab  a  mind  ob  its  own.  At  first,  I 
warn't  particular  interested,  an'  kep  on  a 
squashin'  ob  de  gnats  when  all  on  a  sudden  I 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

seed  right  afore  me  de  great  sarpen'  himself, 
wid  coils  an'  an  awful  mouf ,  I  tell  yo'.  Lawd ! 
It  would  a  made  a  Injine's  hair  ter  gin  ter  curl 
tight  ter  seed  dat  ere  beast. 

"  Dere  was  kind  ob  humps  cum  out  ob  de 
water,  w'at  was  de  coils,  an'  de  snortin's  an' 
de  roarin's  wus  like  de  furnace  blasts  ob  Hell. 
It  was  cummin'  nearer  'n  nearer,  makin'  dose 
awful  sounds,  an'  a  tearin'.  I  could  see  its  tail 
a  lashin'  ob  de  water  like  de  new  fangled 
washin'  machine  et  my  'otel. 

"  I  wus  dat  scared,  dat  all  I  could  t'ink  ob 
wus  de  Lawd's  Prayer,  but  dat  didn't  obstruct 
dat  animal's  onward  course.  It  was  a  commin' 
straight  fur  me — nearer  an'  nearer,  till — till,  I 
could  see  its  red  mouf',  and  dat  its  body  war  a 
quarter  ob  a  mile  long,  sartin'  sho'. 

"  I  wus  so  stuck  ter  dat  wall  by  fright  you'd 
a  thought  I'd  tuck  root  dar.  It  could  a  gobbled 
me  down  its  froat  like  an  oyster  but  I  thought 
ob  my  dish-washin',  an'  Phelia  an'  Washin'ton, 
an'  by  a  cummidigious  effort  I  tore  myself  from 
dat  wall,  and  moved  fur  hum. 

"  Dey  ain't  no  need  f  er  yo'  to  tell  me  der 
52 


JULIE'S  "SEJ-SARPEN* 

aint  no  sea  sarpen's,  fur  dere's  one  a-roostin'  in 
dis  berry  harbor,  now — and  wedder  it  'el  go 
browsin'  roun'  on  de  Ian'  seekin'  w'at  it  may 
devour,  only  de  good  Lawd  knows.  It  could 
crunch  an'  eat  dis  'ere  cabin  an'  all  yo'  folks  in 
it,  if  it  tuk  a  likin'  fur  a  meal." 

Julib  paused  and  glanced  about  the  circle  as 
an  audible  shudder  and  chatter  of  teeth  passed 
round.  The  two  bent  figures  in  the  corner 
crouched  together,  their  whitened,  woolly  heads 
nodding  in  unison  like  dusky  mandarins. 

A  sudden  cry  of  dismay  from  Washington 
was  heard,  and  it  was  discovered  that  he  had 
sat  down  in  an  unexpected  fashion  on  the  hoe 
cake.  As  his  mother  jerked  him  off,  low  mut- 
terings  were  heard  about  "  makin'  him  hotter 
yit." 

This  episode  broke  the  silence.  Deep  breaths 
were  drawn,  feet  were  shuffled  and  pipes  re-lit 
to  bring  back  a  feeling  of  security  by  familiar 
sensations.  An  old  woman  with  a  high  squeak 
ing  voice  was  the  first  to  speak,  between  her 
whiffs  of  bad  tobacco. 

"  Tears  like  Julib  hab  seen  de  wonders  of 
53 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

natur'  sho'  nuff.  P'r'aps  it  mought  been  de 
debbil  in  pusson.  Wat  yo'  tink  Deacon  ?  "  to 
Ophelia's  father. 

One  of  the  figures  in  the  corner  came  out  into 
the  circle  of  fire-light,  his  wizened  face  wearing 
the  cynical  smile  of  a  Voltaire. 

"  Dat  dere  is  a  debbil,"  he  began,  "  we  all 
knows,  fer  we  has  wrastled  wid  him.  But  es 
'fur  sea-sarpen's,  dey  ain't  a  common  breed, 
least-wise  roun'  dere  'ere  parts.  I'se  lived  'bout 
t'ree  times  es  long  as  dis  son-in-law  ob  mine,  an' 
ain't  seed  no  sich  roarin'  beasts  es  he  tells  ob. 
If  dey  is  a  wanderin'  roun'  loose,  why  ain't  I 
seed  em?  though,"  with  sarcastic  emphasis,  "  I 
warn't  in  de  habit  ob  spendin'  my  nights  a 
loafin'  an'  a  slappin'  ob  gnats,  wid  my  wife  and 
brats  ter  hum.  Dey  is  circumstances,  I  'low, 
when  a  man  will  see  sarpen's  an'  pink  debbils 
an'  sich  like  in  his  head,  w'at  don't  happen  ter 
be  outside  ob  it." 

A  murmur  of  dissent  arose,  and  Julib  sprang 
to  his  feet.  From  the  dim  corner  came  a  deri 
sive  laugh,  and  another  shadow  on  the  wall 
54 


JULIE'S  "SEA-SARPEN'" 

sprang  suddenly  up  to  the  ceiling  as  Brother 
Williams,  the  Deacon's  friend  and  secret  rival, 
rose,  brandishing  his  stick. 

"  I'se  'fraid  dat  de  Deacon  es  more  onsart'in 
ob  de  spiritual  debbil  den  he  be  ob  der  sea-sar- 
pen',  fur  I  heah  his  religion  hab  been  getting  a 
little  cool  ob  late.  He  wus  a  shakin'  wid  feah 
a  minit  ago;  I  felt  him.  If  he  don't  hab  no 
trust  in  sarpen's  why  didn't  he  train  his  darter 
Phelia  mo'  ter  his  own  notions  ?  Yo'  b'lieve  in 
'em  sho',  don'  yo'  gal  ?  " 

He  sank  back  into  the  shadows  with  a  tri 
umphant  cackle,  glancing  at  the  terror-stricken 
Ophelia. 

With  memories  of  past  tilts  with  his  rival  in 
his  mind,  and  their  attendant  discomforts,  the 
deacon  hastened  to  pour  oil  on  the  water  his 
taunts  had  troubled. 

"  Wai,  wat's  de  use  ob  discussin'  dese  mat 
ters.  If  it's  de  Lawd's  will  fur  us  ter  reach  de 
Golden  City  by  de  straight  and  narrer  way  ob 
dat  sarpen's  gullet,  we'se  got  ter  trabel  dat  way. 
I'd  rader  be  swallered  whole,  dan  be  kicked  in- 
55 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

ter  Heaben  by  a  mule  like  our  deah  departed 
Brudder  Shadd  who  we  buried  las'  week." 

The  old  woman  leaned  forward  with  interest. 

"  Jes'so !  Jes'so !  "  she  said,  and  getting  ex 
cited,  "  Gone  ter  Heaben — gone  ter  glory,  with 
der  cherubins  an'  de  paraffines.  Glory !  glory ! 
Take  him,  Lawd !  I'se  a  comin' — comin',  glory, 
glory!" 

Her  voice  was  drowned  by  Brother  Will- 
iams's,  whose  sonorous  tones  filled  the  cabin, 
for  he  disapproved  the  impression  the  Deacon's 
eloquence  was  making. 

"  Hit's  a  pity  dat  after  hundreds  ob  years  ob 
experience  'mong  pussons  ob  color,  dat  our  deah 
departed  brudder  shouldn't  er  know  better  dan 
ter  approach  dat  animal  from  de  rear.  Yes," 
he  continued,  his  eyes  twinkling,  "  and  I  wus 
at  de  berryin'  service.  Somebody  put  a  nickel 
in  a  hat  ter  start  de  collection  fur  de  po'  widder, 
an'  after  goin'  all  roun'  it  cum  back  empty, 
He!  he!" 

A  general  laugh  shook  the  frail  shanty,  to 
the  great  disturbance  of  two  drowsy  chickens 
56 


JULIFS  "SEA-SJRPEN* 

perched  on  a  rafter  above.  But  this  hilarity 
was  brought  to  a  sudden  end  by  the  Deacon's 
stick  rapping  smartly  on  the  floor. 

"  My  frens',"  he  drawled  solemnly,  "  it  don' 
befit  yo'  ter  laff  at  no  sich  wickednesses. 
Dere's  a'  sponsibility  ob  five  cents  a-floatin' 
among  dat  congregation  somewhar'.  Look  out 
dat  it  ain't  'mong  us." 

With  a  significant  glance  at  his  rival  he 
moved  towards  the  door. 

"  Fs  a  goin' — am  yo'  comin'  my  way,  Brud- 
der  Williams?  Yes?  den  it  will  be  'spectable 
for  us  to  go  togedder." 

He  patronizingly  pulled  the  wool  of  the  sleep 
ing  Washington,  and  with  a  dignified  "  good 
ebenin'  "  to  the  others,  clattered  out,  followed 
by  Brother  Williams. 


57 


Chapter  II 


THE  narrow  roadway  bordered  by  cabins, 
was    silent   and   deserted.      As    they 
passed    the    white-washed    "  meetin' 
house  "  they  paused.     The  closing  verse  of  a 
hymn  sung  with  all  the  fervor  and  passion  of  a 
negro  "  revival,"  drifted  through  the  open  win 
dows. 

"  We're    a-rol/m' — we're    a-rolhV — 
We're  a — rollin'  through  dis  sinful  worl' — 
We're  a — rol/tV — we're  a — rollin' — 
We're  a — rollin'  home  ter  God." 

They  stood  arm  in  arm,  the  old  Deacon  beat 
ing  time  with  his  long  foot  on  the  sand.  Per 
haps  something  in  the  stirring  melody  subdued 
their  egotism,  for  as  they  moved  among  the 
pine  shadows,  each  leaned  on  the  other  with 
more  affectionate  and  familiar  ease. 

Nothing  was  said  for  some  time,  until,  on 
turning  a  corner,  a  dog  rushed  out  on  them 
with  sudden  barking.  Both  started  to  run,  then 
paused  trembling,  looking  at  one  another. 

58 


JULIE'S  "SEA-SARPEN"' 

"Yo'  don'  b'lieve  in  dat  trash  ob  Julib's 
'bout  de  sea-sarpen',  do  yo'  Brudder?"  asked 
the  Deacon  in  a  somewhat  shaky  voice,  as  they 
continued  their  way. 

"  Course  not !  "  was  the  scornful  reply,  given 
with  a  shrinking  glance  toward  the  lonely  road 
ahead.  "  Julib  means  well,  but  he  do  tell  sich 
tales.  Bress  yo'  sole,  Deacon,  if  I  t'ought  dere 
wus  sich  a  beast  I'd  go  an'  look  fur  him.  If 
we'd  look  long  'nuff,  we'd  see  him,  sho'." 

"  Is  yo'  gwine  ter  look?  "  asked  the  Deacon, 
with  sudden  suspicion  for  the  sincerity  of  his 
companion's  scepticism. 

"Do  yo'  take  me  fur  a  fule?"  exclaimed 
Brother  Williams.  "  Do  yo'  t'ink  I'd  sit  a- 
roostin'  all  de  night  on  dat  sea-wall  a  waitin' 
fur  roarin'  beasts  w'at  nebber  did  lib  nohow? 
Sho' !  I'se  too  ole  fur  enny  sich  foolerin'  es  dat. 
Ere  yo'  gwine  fur  ter  look  ?  " 

"  Me !  "  exclaimed  the  Deacon.  The  derisive 
scorn  of  the  answer  convinced  Brother  Will 
iams  that  there  was  no  such  possibility. 

Each  longed  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  to 
59 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

know  if  such  a  creature  did  exist,  and  to  see  it 
if  it  did.  What  glory  to  tell  of  it  to  the  other ! 
The  Deacon  thrilled  with  the  delightful  possi 
bility.  How  much  better  than  Julib  he  would 
describe  the  grewsome  details  of  that  mysteri 
ous  creature,  if  he  could  but  see  it.  For  once 
he  might  enter  a  realm  of  knowledge  where 
Brother  Williams  could  not  follow,  and  con 
found  his  rival  with  his  own  marvelous  experi 
ence.  Oh !  if  he  could  only  have  one  glimpse 
of  "  dat  sarpen',"  for  that  it  existed  he  began 
to  have  no  doubt.  Wild  ideas  and  plans  floated 
through  his  brain. 

Meanwhile  Brother  Williams  hobbling 
through  the  sand,  was  also  burning  with 
awakening  ambition.  That  Julib  had  spoken 
the  truth  he  had  not  for  a  moment  doubted,  but 
fear  of  the  Deacon's  ridicule  had  made  him 
deny  any  such  belief.  With  sly  caution  and  an 
instinctive  mistrust  of  his  friend's  sincerity,  he 
had  a  half-formed  plan  to  see  this  monster  of 
the  sea  for  himself.  If  he  could  but  corrobo 
rate  his  son's  statement,  and  relate  new  horrors 
60 


JULIE'S  "SEA-S4RPEN9" 

of  his  own  experience!  The  blissful  anticipa 
tion  of  being  a  conspicuous  narrator  while  the 
Deacon  should  sit  neglected  in  a  corner,  gave 
him  exquisite  pleasure.  He  could  with  diffi 
culty  refrain  from  executing  a  double-shuffle  in 
the  middle  of  the  road. 

Both  men  were  so  engrossed  in  their  own 
thoughts,  that  little  more  was  said  till  they  bade 
each  other  good-night  at  the  Deacon's  "  clear- 
in'."  They  parted  with  great  magnanimity, 
their  hearts  mellowed  with  the  prospect  of  an 
ticipated  triumph. 

Brother  Williams  scurried  home,  shying  at 
shadows  and  rustling  jasmine  vines,  to  his 
cabin  half  a  mile  farther. 

The  Deacon  entered  his  house  and  tied  his 
door  firmly  with  a  bit  of  twine. 


61 


Chapter  III 


THE  following  night  a  heavy  fog  rolled 
in  from  the  sea.  It  crept  along  the 
narrow  streets,  through  sleepy  gar 
dens,  and  swathed  itself  about  the  motionless 
palms,  till  St.  Augustine  in  its  gray  veiling 
looked  like  a  city  among  the  clouds. 

Brother  Williams,  his  legs  stretched  out  to 
the  imaginary  warmth  of  a  pile  of  ashes  in  his 
fire-place,  sat  lost  in  thought,  his  head  sunk  for 
ward  on  his  breast.  All  was  still  save  the  oc 
casional  rustle  of  Pete,  the  dog,  aroused  from 
slumber  to  attend  to  a  dream-disturbing  flea. 
Through  the  open  window  the  fog  drifted, 
blurring  the  outlines  of  the  tiny  cabin,  and  cov 
ering  its  bareness  with  a  friendly  veil. 

Brother  Williams  at  last  rose  with  a  pro 
found  sigh,  and  moving  to  the  door,  peered 
cautiously  out.  His  cabin  stood  in  its  acre  of 
"  clearin',"  the  only  sign  of  human  life.  A 
group  of  tall  pines  with  their  scanty  foliage 
away  at  their  tops,  were  like  gawky  boys  grown 
62 


JULIE'S  "SE4-SARPEN' 

"  too  big  for  their  clothes."  Mysterious  chirps 
and  rustles  came  from  the  scrub  palmettos, 
whose  sharp  leaves  seemed  to  point  like  deri 
sive  fingers  at  the  solitary  watcher. 

With  a  searching  glance  this  way  and  that, 
Brother  Williams  crept  softly  back  into  the 
house.  The  dog  rose.  "  Yo'  jest  be  still  Pete. 
Don'  yo'  be  fur  snuffin'  yo'  nose  into  t'ings  w'at 
ain't  yo'  perfession." 

With  slow  caution  he  got  into  a  great  coat 
which  fell  in  ragged  luxuriance  to  his  heels. 
With  many  a  nervous  glance  and  pause  he  went 
out,  latching  the  gate  softly  behind  him,  and 
passed  down  the  road. 

Entering  the  town,  he  scurried  past  the  bril 
liantly  lighted  Ponce  de  Leon,  keeping  in  the 
shadow  of  garden  walls  as  much  as  possible, 
and  dodging  around  the  groups  of  colored  men 
loitering  on  the  corners.  He  crossed  the  Plaza, 
and  reaching  the  sea-wall,  paused.  He  fancied 
he  heard  steps  behind  him  on  the  stone  coping, 
but  could  see  nothing  for  the  mist.  After  lis 
tening  intently  he  went  on. 

63 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

"  It's  doin'  ob  de  secret  t'ings  dat  makes  us 
scart,"  he  thought.  "  Dere  ain't  nobody  a  keep- 
in'  step  wid  me  fur  fun  on  sich  a  night  as  dis' 
nohow." 

Everything  was  still.  The  ripple  of  the 
water  below  him  was  the  only  sound  his 
anxious  ears  could  now  hear.  He  went  steadily 
on  to  the  Fort,  and  around  the  sloping  wall  to 
its  farthest  extremity.  Wrapping  his  cloak 
well  around  him,  he  sat  down,  with  eyes  fixed 
on  the  narrow  strip  of  beach  and  water  discern 
ible  through  the  mist  on  the  left  of  the  Fort. 

If  the  gulls  had  been  awake,  they  would  have 
seen  a  few  moments  later,  a  second  figure 
emerge  from  the  fog  with  stealthy  tread.  Like 
a  cat  in  search  of  prey,  the  Deacon  crept  along 
the  Fort  wall,  his  old  shoes  making  no  sound 
on  its  hard  surface.  Not  a  hundred  feet  from 
Brother  Williams  he  paused,  and  peered  tri 
umphantly  about  him.  No  sign  of  human  life 
about.  He  was  alone  to  discover — what? 

He  shivered  slightly  as  he  seated  himself. 
Those  gray,  mysterious  depths  of  mist  and  sea 
64 


JULIE'S  "SEA-SARPEN" 

might  hide  untold  horrors.  He  shrank  back 
from  the  edge  near  the  water,  and  got  as  far 
up  on  the  shelving  wall,  as  its  width  permitted. 

For  a  long  time  the  two  daring  spirits  sat 
there  motionless,  the  mist  dripping  from  their 
battered  hats,  and  running  in  little  streams 
down  their  cavernous  wrinkles.  Now  and 
then  the  young  moon  would  peer  for  a  moment 
upon  them,  to  be  lost  again  in  the  moving  va 
por. 

"  Fse  a  courageous  man,"  said  the  Deacon  to 
himself.  "  Yo'  wouldn't  ketch  dat  white-liv 
ered  Brudder  Williams  in  no  sich  purdigri- 
ment  nohow.  He's  a  stuffin'  hisself  no  doubt 
at  dis  berry  minnit  wid  Phelia's  hoe-cake,  wid 
no  mo'  care  fur  science  than  dat  brat  Wash 
ington." 

Brother  Williams  at  the  other  end  of  the 
wall,  stirred  uneasily,  trying  to  find  the  soft 
side  of  its  clam-shell  surface. 

"  It  wouldn't  be  no  sich  man  as  de  Deacon," 
.  he  thought,  "  ter  be  out  heah  a  sarchin'  fur 
troof.  Jes'  won't  I  make  dat  wool  ob  hissen 
65 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

stan'  up  wid  s'prise,  when  I  tells  him  w'at  I 
seen.  He  be  allers  soundin'  de  loud  timbral  fur 
his  own  smartnesses,  but  he'd  be  narvious,  he 
would.  I  don'  scar'  a  demnition  bit,  I  don't." 

A  toad  hopping  along  came  in  contact  with 
his  hand.  He  barely  stifled  a  scream. 

"  I  'low  es  dat  did  s'prise  me  a  little,"  he 
muttered.  "  It  wur  fur  usin'  a  cussin'  word,  I 
specs." 

The  minutes  dragged  slowly  by.  They 
seemed  hours  to  the  two  men  of  science.  They 
grew  more  damp  and  more  cold  and  were  de 
cidedly  nervous. 

"  If  I's  fuled,"  said  the  Deacon  to  himself, 
"  dat  cowerlin  Brudder  Williams  '11  nebber 
know,  an'  if  I  isn't — !  "  The  delightful  possi 
bility  of  surpassing  his  rival,  sent  a  glow 
through  his  trembling  frame. 

All  at  once  both  men  gave  a  start.  Off  to  the 
right  a  sound  was  heard:  faint,  but  still  a 
sound.  A  wheezing,  gasping,  gurgle  came 
across  the  water,  accompanied  by  dull  splash 
ing.  The  Deacon's  breath  stopped,  he  felt  he 
was  about  to  stifle. 

66 


JULIE'S  "  SEA-SARPEN9 

"  Hit's  it ! — hit's  it !  "  he  gasped,  with  shak 
ing  limbs. 

Brother  Williams  felt  his  blood  congeal. 

"  Dat's  de  noise  es  Julib  done  told  'bout,  but 
I  ain't  scart,  no  I  ain't."  He  rose  with  shaking 
knees  and  peered  into  the  mist. 

The  noise  grew  louder — it  seemed  to  fill  the 
air,  his  ears,  his  brain,  with  a  confused  horror 
of  sound.  It  resembled  the  snorts  and  breath 
ings  of  some  terrible  monster.  No  such  sound 
had  either  of  them  ever  heard  before.  No 
lights  were  visible,  so  it  could  not  be  a  vessel  of 
any  kind — and  what  vessel  ever  made  such  a 
noise ! 

The  Deacon  was  now  beside  himself  with 
terror.  He  longed  to  cry  out,  to  escape,  but 
power  of  motion  and  spirit  had  left  him. 

Brother  Williams,  torn  between  abject  fear 
and  curiosity,  knelt  on  the  edge  of  the  wall  with 
a  pair  of  trembling  hands  raised  to  heaven. 

"  Oh !   Lawd,  I'se  a  sinner,  a  po'  weak  sin 
ner;  but  oh!  good,  kind  Lawd,  let  me  see  it. 
Yo'  let  John  see  de  Rebelations.     Oh!    keep 
me — oh  glory,  glory,  o-o-o-o-h — h — h — h !  " 
67 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

The  horrid  noise  was  almost  below  him — he 
'saw  the  hideous  coils,  the  tossing  head  through 
the  mist.  With  one  yell  of  ungovernable  ter 
ror,  he  turned  and  fled.  Blind  and  dizzy  with 
horror,  he  sped  along  the  wall  to  be  sent  tum 
bling  prostrate  over  the  Deacon.  With  a 
mingled  yell  of  dismay  they  grappled  and  rolled 
over  and  over,  each  ignorant  of  what  or  who 
was  the  other.  At  that  moment  the  moon 
looked  down,  and  they  shook  themselves  apart. 

"  Yo'  Deacon  " !  gasped  Brother  Williams, 
glaring  at  his  foe. 

"Yes!  yes!  it's  me.  Oh!  w'at  is  it?  oh! 
oh!" 

He  clung  trembling  to  his  companion,  who 
now,  with  his  rival  there  before  him,  felt  some 
small  courage  return. 

The  two  old  men  clung  to  each  other  and 
crept  slowly  toward  the  noise.  The  terrible 
monster  had  passed  the  Fort,  moving  toward 
the  beach  at  the  left.  They  crept,  step  by  step, 
to  the  point  in  the  wall,  both  beginning  to  feel 
partially  secure,  when  suddenly  a  snort  of  pro- 
68 


JULIE'S  "SEA-SARPEN"' 

digious  strength  caused  them  to  jump  as  though 
shot. 

A  whirling  of  water,  and  another  snort. 
They  were  both  about  to  cast  science  to  the 
winds  and  fly  ignominiously,  when  the  mist 
lifted,  disclosing,  not  fifty  feet  away — five 
horses  emerging  in  single  file  from  the  water, 
shaking  their  dripping  flanks,  and  then  walk 
ing  calmly  across  the  beach. 

The  two  men  turned  and  faced  each  other 
with  mingled  wrath  and  shame. 

"  Es  fur  yo',  Brudder  Williams,  yo'  mus' 
feel  mighty  like  a  sheep  ter  be  makin'  sich  a 
screechin'  fuss  'bout  a  few  po'  horses  swimmin' 
home  from  de  island.  Here  wus  I,"  his  voice 
rising  in  virtuous  indignation,  "  a  sittin'  quiet 
an'  peaceable-like,  a  composin'  my  experience 
speech  fur  ter-morrow's  meetin',  when  yo' 
comes  a  gallopin'  along  like  a  boltin'  lion,  a- 
knockin'  me  ober,  an'  actin'  like  Balaam's  ass. 
Yo'  is  a  noodlin'  fule,  I'se  bressed  if  yo'  ain't." 

"  Yo'  tell  me,  Deacon,  dat  yo'  wus  sittin'  hear 
speechifying!  Go  'long  wid  sich  lyin'.  Yo' 
69 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

roostin'  in  dis  hear  wet !  Tell  dat  story  ter  de 
ole  women-folks.  I  ain't  no  chicken  ter  be 
filled  wid  no  sich  stuffin'.  So  yo'  t'ink  I  bin 
scart!  I  done  seed  yo'  sittin'  hear  all  de  time, 
an'  knowed  yo's  bin  watchin'  fur  dat  sarpen'. 
Yes,  I  jess  done  dat  screechin'  ter  scar'  yo'. 
An'  I  done  gone  and  done  it  too,  sartin'.  He! 
he!  ha!  ha!" 

Brother  Williams  broke  into  a  feeble  cackle 
and  turned  homeward.  He  not  only  felt 
shaky  about  his  knees,  but  feared  his  imagina 
tion  might  fail  if  called  upon  to  do  more  lying. 

At  the  "  experience  meetin'  "  the  following 
evening,  these  two  brave  men  sat  very  far 
apart,  and  had  no  experience  to  relate.  It  was 
noticed  however  that  they  prayed  at  each  other 
with  unusual  fervor. 


[The  Sea-serpent  illusion,  as  described  in  the  above 
story,  was  actually  experienced  by  Mr.  W.  H.  P.,  a 
winter  resident  of  St.  Augustine,  when  visiting  the 
Fort  on  a  cloudy  evening.] 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

Nassau. 

Chapter  I 

THE  occasion  of  my  first  meeting  Lady 
Gladys  was  in  this  wise.  I  was  stop 
ping  with  my  friend  Maxwell  Keith, 
an  Americanized  Scotchman,  upon  the  semi- 
tropical  island  off  the  coast  of  Georgia,  which 
he  had  purchased  for  a  winter  home  with  a 
game-stocked  Park,  as  much  like  the  ideal  Eng 
lish  seat  as  possible.  He  was  a  younger  son 
whose  sole  patrimony  had  been  a  vigorous 
physique  and  a  splendid  energy,  and  with  these 
he  came  to  America,  where  ten  years  among 
iron  manufacturers  had  secured  him  a  hand 
some  fortune,  and  had  also  lessened  his  venera 
tion  for  the  decaying  and  idle  upper  classes  of 
England. 

He  spent  his  summers  in  Scotland,  and  his 
old  friends  there  raised  their  eyebrows  at  his 
generous  American  fashion  of  presenting  vari- 

73 


ous  towns  with  Public  Libraries,  and  were  still 
more  open  in  their  displeasure  when  he  an 
nounced  his  views  upon  the  education  of  the 
lower  classes.  Meanwhile  he  entertained  his 
friends  lavishly  on  both  sides  of  the  water: 
carried  them  about  on  four-in-hands  and  in 
steam  yachts,  and  was,  in  short,  a  delightful 
and  forcible  advertisement  for  the  success  of 
American  industries. 

His  luxurious  island  home  was  a  charming 
mingling  of  English  form  and  American  con 
venience,  and  here  for  the  time  being  he 
dreamed  himself  a  country  squire  of  good  old 
English  style  but  without  the  climatic  discom 
forts  of  "the  tight  little  isle."  This  winter 
he  had  a  dozen  friends  to  bear  him  company — 
among  them  Mr.  Kenby,  a  prominent  politi 
cian,  Mr.  Ruddrow,  a  newly  arisen  novelist 
who  said  sharp  things,  and  the  usual  profes 
sional  beauty.  There  was  also  an  amateur 
actor  of  classic  profile,  to  relieve  the  tedium  of 
possible  dull  weather. 

After  a  fortnight  of  shooting  and  explora- 
74 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

tion  of  the  beautiful  island,  our  energetic  host 
suggested  that  a  cruise  on  the  steam  yacht  lying 
idly  in  the  little  harbor,  would  be  a  pleasant  di 
version.  The  idea  was  hailed  with  delight. 
The  women  were  quickly  prepared,  while  the 
men  provided  themselves  liberally  with  fishing 
tackle,  not  forgetting  a  generous  supply  of  ci 
gars  and  champagne,  and  we  sailed  merrily 
away  for  the  sunny  waters  of  the  South. 

Our  objective  point  was  Nassau,  but  we 
lingered  along  the  Florida  coast  with  its  flat 
stretches  of  wind-swept  marshes,  and  back 
grounds  of  grim  pines.  We  ran  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  up  the  St.  John's  river,  fishing  in 
its  placid  waters,  or,  anchored  at  pleasure  in  the 
numerous  inlets,  we  idled  away  the  hours, 
watching  the  pink  and  gray  cranes,  standing  in 
one-legged  stateliness  under  the  vine  tangled 
palmettos. 

The  women  of  our  party,  having  heard  of 

the  social  gaieties  at  Nassau,  presently  had 

enough  of  this  idyllic  life,  so  bowing  to  their 

decree,  we  wound  up  our  reels  and  were  soon 

75 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

steaming  under  the  frowning  ramparts  of  Fort 
Fincastle. 

The  sky  line  of  the  quaint  little  city,  with  its 
towers  and  Cathedral  campanile,  was  losing 
itself  in  the  yellow  glow  of  a  setting  sun. 
Sounds  of  martial  music  floated  across  the 
water  from  the  evening  Parade  at  the  Garri 
son.  Sailboats  of  all  sizes  laden  with  parties  of 
young  people  were  being  poled  in  by  their  skip 
pers,  with  sails  hanging  limp  about  the  masts. 

On  the  morrow  began  a  different  life  for  our 
party.  There  was  golf,  riding  and  bathing  by 
day,  and  dancing  every  evening,  with  occa 
sional  dinners  among  the  residents.  The  con 
trasts  of  the  place  were  curious — a  mixture  of 
almost  theatrical  prettiness  and  nineteenth  cen 
tury  smartness.  If  King  George  could  but 
traverse  these  narrow  streets;  see  the  electric 
lights  swung  from  corner  to  corner,  or  look  in 
upon  a  "  hop  "  at  the  Victoria  Hotel,  how  as 
tounded  that  monarch  would  be  at  such  innova 
tions.  And  all  with  never  a  "  by  your  Majes 
ty's  leave." 

76 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

One  afternoon,  the  rest  of  our  party  having 
departed  in  congenial  couples  to  the  Queen's 
staircase,  golf  links  and  quaint  Grant  town,  I 
took  a  boat  for  a  row  and  quiet  pipe. 

Leaving  the  gay  little  town  behind  me,  I 
rowed  by  the  Fort  toward  a  stretch  of  lonely 
marshes  which  looked  invitingly  quiet.  For  a 
while  I  could  find  no  water-way  to  their  midst, 
but  after  some  hard  pulling  a  narrow  creek 
came  into  view.  This  I  followed  with  no  spe 
cial  purpose  except  a  whim  to  get  as  far  away 
as  possible  from  everything  and  everyone. 
Gray  sand  dunes,  blown  by  the  wind  into  fan 
tastic  shapes,  stretched  away  on  every  side, 
broken  by  spaces  of  brown  grass  over  which 
gulls  wheeled  with  plaintive  cries.  Far  away 
to  the  right,  I  could  hear  the  surf  booming, 
but  here  not  a  ripple  stirred  the  waters,  save 
when  insect  wings  touched  its  placid  surface, 
or  a  crane  started  up  from  the  tufts  of  salt 
grass. 

I  rowed  on  and  on,  taking  no  thought  of 
time,  with  only  a  happy  sense  of  bien  etre,  until 
77 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

I  was  aroused  from  my  somnambulent  mood  by 
an  obstacle  ahead. 

A  causeway  stretched  across  the  entire 
breadth  of  my  vision  from  the  forest  on  the 
extreme  left,  to  what  appeared  a  thickly  wooded 
island  or  else  a  promontory  of  the  main  land, 
on  my  right.  No  sign  of  human  life  disturbed 
the  perfect  quiet.  I  left  the  boat,  and  climbed 
to  the  top  of  the  causeway.  Beyond,  the 
marshes  stretched  away  in  flat  monotony.  No 
tracks  of  wheels  or  footsteps  were  visible  upon 
the  causeway,  but  the  center  was  worn  in  a  nar 
row  track  by  horses'  feet.  My  curiosity  was 
now  fully  awakened.  I  pulled  the  boat  high 
out  of  water  and  started  for  the  island. 

It  was  the  forest  primeval  into  which  the 
track  led  me.  Grass  grew  breast  high,  with  no 
reminder  of  the  scythe.  To  the  left  the  old 
paths  were  almost  obliterated  by  tangled  un 
dergrowth.  It  was  a  wilderness  beautiful  in 
Nature's  own  prodigality.  I  pushed  my  way 
through  vine  and  bracken  with  curious  expec- 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

tancy,  as  though  a  haunted  castle  and  sleeping 
princess  lay  hid  in  this  mazy  woodland. 

Suddenly  I  heard  a  childish  voice  close  to 
me  crooning  a  lullaby.  I  pushed  aside  some 
brushwood,  and  there  in  a  little  opening  among 
the  ferns  sat  a  child  rocking  a  doll  to  and  fro 
in  her  arms.  She  was  sitting  at  the  foot  of  a 
giant  palmetto,  whose  roots  protruding  from 
their  earth  covering  stretched  in  all  directions. 
Between  these  roots  the  child  had  placed  toy 
tables  and  chairs  made  from  bits  of  bark  and 
sticks.  Flowers  were  stuck  here  and  there  as 
decoration  for  her  idyllic  house.  Suddenly  she 
gave  her  doll  a  shake. 

"  You  tiresome  child !  "  she  said,  "  Why 
won't  you  go  to  sleep?  You  must  be  very 
happy  to  be  so  forever  smiling.  Grandpa  says 
only  the  dead  are  happy.  Perhaps  you're 
dead." 

She  became  conscious  of  a  strange  presence, 
and  turned  toward  me  one  of  the  loveliest  child 
faces  I  have  ever  seen.  It  was  oval  in  shape 


79 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

and  very  small,  made  more  so  by  the  great  vio 
let  eyes  which  looked  straight  into  mine  with 
innocent  astonishment.  A  mass  of  curls  framed 
the  face.  She  was  clad  in  a  frock  of  rough 
gray  serge,  much  too  short  for  her,  fastened  by 
white  bone  buttons.  But  this  small  person  was 
in  no  way  disconcerted  by  her  unexpected  vis 
itor.  She  clasped  her  doll  closer. 

"  Do  you  want  to  find  your  way  to  the 
house?  "  she  asked.  "  It  is  straight  on,  but  you 
know  grandpa  doesn't  receive  visitors." 

I  replied  that  I  was  not  in  search  of  the  house 
or  her  grandfather,  in  fact  supposed  I  was  the 
only  person  about.  Her  mouth  broke  into  a 
laugh ;  then,  as  though  fearing  I  might  feel  the 
awkwardness  of  my  position,  the  child  grew 
politely  grave. 

"  I  am  Lady  Gladys  Cope,"  she  said,  "  and 
my  grandfather  is  Lord  Carnsforth  and  lives 
here.  I  take  care  of  him."  To  say  I  was  as 
tonished  but  mildly  expresses  my  feelings,  as  I 
gazed  at  the  tattered  little  princess  before  me. 
I  had  met  here  and  there  in  my  western  trips 
80 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

some  titles  among  the  numerous  younger  sons 
of  English  aristocracy  who  had  been  driven 
there  by  necessity,  and  even  in  southern  Florida 
I  had  run  against  a  self-exiled  Duke,  but  had 
heard  nothing  of  this  distinguished  exile.  I 
apologized  to  the  best  of  my  ability  for  having 
trespassed,  but  she  interrupted  me. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  and  think  you 
are  a  very  nice  person.  But  you  must  be  tired ; 
won't  you  sit  down  ?  " 

With  regal  air  she  motioned  me  to  a  mossy 
stump,  and  resuming  her  position,  smoothed 
down  her  doll's  scanty  petticoats. 

I  was  warm  and  tired,  and  very  willing  to 
rest  for  a  while  with  so  unique  a  companion. 
She  was  voluble,  and  we  chatted  on,  much  to 
our  mutual  gratification.  We  soon  became 
good  friends.  She  explained  to  me  the  mys 
teries  of  her  housekeeping,  and  how  the  cater 
pillars  were  at  times  very  troublesome  in  up 
setting  her  furniture.  She  said  this  was  her 
country  house,  her  town  house  was  in  a  dis 
tant  field  in  a  hay  rick.  I  inquired  politely  for 
81 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

her  children's  health  and  showed  her  how  to 
make  rabbits  out  of  my  pocket  handkerchief. 
The  sun  was  sinking  and  the  woods  growing 
chill,  so  I  suggested  that  I  should  escort  her 
home,  and  we  pushed  our  way  through  the  sun- 
reddened  leaves.  She  chatted  freely  of  her 
home  and  home  life,  as  freely  as  only  a  child 
could  who  had  never  known  what  strangers 
were. 

"  Grandpa  is  very  old,"  she  said;  "  he  and  I 
live  here  quite  alone  with  Allan  and  Tabby. 
They  are  the  servants.  You  see  Grandpa  is 
very  poor  now,  but  he  didn't  use  to  be.  We, 
that  is,  Mamma  and  Grandpa,  came  over  here 
from  England  because  our  old  home  went  to 
someone  else.  He  bought  this  orange  grove, 
but  Mamma  died,  and  all  the  trees  died,  so  it 
left  only  me  to  take  care  of  Grandpa.  Tabby 
says  if  I  had  been  a  boy  I  would  have  been  an 
Earl  like  he  is,  but  I'm  glad  I  wasn't,  for  I 
don't  think  Earls  are  happy  people.  Grandpa 
doesn't  seem  so." 

By  this  time  we  had  come  in  sight  of  the 
82 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

house,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  beautiful 
desolation  of  the  scene.  The  house,  a  long 
rambling  structure  of  brick,  with  a  sky  line 
much  broken  by  quaint  chimneys,  rose  against 
the  sky.  It  had  evidently  been  the  home  of 
some  wealthy  Southern  planter  before  the  war, 
and  in  its  day,  luxurious  to  an  unusual  degree. 
Ivy  clambered  over  doors  and  windows,  some 
of  which  evidently  had  been  closed  for  years, 
and  wild  vines  ran  riot  to  the  very  edge  of  the 
gabled  roof.  A  wide  piazza,  stretched  along 
the  front  of  the  house,  its  decayed  wooden 
steps  leading  to  a  garden  choked  with  weeds. 
A  wilderness  of  roses  filled  the  air  with  their 
scent.  The  only  sound  of  life  was  the  sleepy 
splash  of  a  dilapidated  fountain,  and  the  twit 
tering  of  birds  as  they  settled  themselves  to 
rest.  As  my  small  guide  led  me  up  the  broken 
steps,  I  felt  like  some  ghost  come  out  of  the 
dead  past  to  revisit  the  scene  of  brilliant  life 
and  gaiety  as  dead  and  forgotten  as  myself. 
By  the  great  central  door  at  which  we  paused 
a  rabbit  nibbled  the  vines  which  covered  the 
83 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

lintel  and  seemed  in  nowise  disturbed  when 
Lady  Gladys  raised  the  knocker  in  both  hands 
and  woke  the  silence  to  resonant  clamor.  At 
last  a  step  was  heard  and  the  door  swung  open, 
disclosing  a  wizened  little  man  in  rusty,  black 
knickerbockers  and  buckled  shoes. 

"  Ah !  it  is  your  ladyship."  Then  catching 
sight  of  my  stalwart  figure  looked  quickly  from 
her  to  me. 

"  Allan,  this  is  a  gentleman  I  met  in  the 
woods,"  she  explained.  Then  turning  to  me, 
"  Please  come  in ;  I  want  to  take  you  to  grand- 
pa." 

But  I  hastened  to  excuse  myself.  "  You  for 
get  that  I  have  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
Lord  Carnsforth,"  I  said,  "  and  doubtless  he 
is  not  prepared  to  receive  visitors." 

"  Oh,  he  will  surely  be  glad  to  see  you,"  she 
urged. 

I  took  out  my  card.  "Take  this  to  him 
first,"  I  said,  "and  then  if  he  is  willing,  I 
should  be  delighted  to  meet  him." 

Like  a  flash  she  was  gone,  Allan  shambling 
84 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

after  her,  leaving  me  in  a  great  hall.  I  made 
out  in  the  dim  light  a  carved  staircase  of  great 
beauty,  and  that  everything  was  pervaded  by 
an  atmosphere  of  dreary  disuse.  Lady  Gladys 
emerged  from  a  dusky  corner,  flushed  and 
breathless,  and,  following  her  beckoning  finger, 
our  footsteps  on  the  hard  and  polished  floor 
awakening  uncanny  echoes  in  the  silence,  she 
paused  at  an  open  door  with  finger  on  lip. 
From  the  light  of  a  glass-stained  window  at 
the  farther  end  I  discerned  a  room  of  noble 
proportions.  Midway  between  floor  and  ceil 
ing  a  gallery  ran  round  the  room,  the  walls  of 
which  were  lined  with  books.  A  smoldering 
fire  gleamed  from  a  cavern-like  fireplace,  and 
before  this  sat  an  old  man  in  a  wheel  chair. 
A  hound  lay  stretched  at  his  feet. 

"  Saint  Pere,"  she  cried,  "  I've  brought  the 
gentleman." 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  meet  any  ac 
quaintance  of  yours  my  darling,"  Lord  Carns- 
forth  said,  as  he  courteously  tried  to  rise,  but 
sinking  back  with  a  sigh  of  pain,  motioned  me 
85 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

to  a  seat.  Lady  Gladys  perched  herself  on  the 
arm  of  his  chair  and  explained  our  meeting. 

"  I  seldom  meet  anyone  from  the  outside 
world,"  he  remarked,  "  and  it  is  many  years 
since  I  trod  its  highways  myself,  though  I  feel 
a  strong  admiration  for  your  wonderful  coun 
try  of  yours  and  its  progressive  people." 

I  expressed  my  admiration  for  what  I  had 
seen  of  English  life.  "  It  shows  nothing  of 
that  striving  for  effect  that  is  the  bane  of  our 
new  world.  Perhaps  it  is  because  you  live  so 
much  in  the  country  and  are  content  with  the 
world  as  your  fathers  left  it.  We  are  forever 
trying  to  better  ourselves  and  circumstances, 
and  I  almost  begin  to  think  it  a  mistake." 

Lord  Carnsforth  leaned  forward.  "  My 
dear  sir,  you  are  wrong  there.  It  is  that  con 
stant  effort  for  what  is  better  which  has  made 
you  what  you  are — the  greatest  empire  the 
world  has  ever  seen.  It  is  difficult  for  Eng 
lish  gentlemen  of  the  present  generation  to 
better  their  condition.  I  wish  it  were  not  so. 
The  old  idea  of  trade  being  ignoble  has  died  its 
86 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

natural  death  and  many  would  like  to  enter 
healthful  business  careers,  but  lack  the  knowl 
edge  to  do  so.  I  envy  some  of  my  old  friends 
who  have  been  able  to  face  the  loss  of  rents  and 
strike  out  for  themselves.  My  friend  the  Duke 
of  Eastminster  has  made  a  great  success  of  his 
London  hansoms.  You  doubtless  have  heard 
of  my  straitened  circumstances.  For  this  little 
one's  sake  I  wish  I  were  younger.  It  is  hard 
to  sit  in  my  chimney  corner  idle  when  heart 
and  brain  would  so  gladly  make  themselves 
useful." 

"  Lady  Gladys  told  me  something  of  her  past 
life,"  I  replied  frankly.  "  But  you  have  much 
left  in  so  loving  and  charming  a  companion." 

My  heart  ached  for  the  pathetic  pair  of  com 
rades.  He,  worn  and  spent  from  his  unsuc 
cessful  battle  with  life  and  she  so  frail  to 
commence  the  warfare. 

"  You  see  she  is  such  a  wild  little  bairn," 

he  continued,  "  that  I  can  do  nothing  better  for 

her.     She  runs  about  in  the  sunshine  much  as 

the  quail  do,  but  she  is  an  ever  present  comfort 

87 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

and  solace  to  me.  I  regret  the  uselessness  of 
a  life  like  mine." 

"  Why,  Saint  Pere,"  the  child  broke  in,  "  it 
is  not  true  that  you  are  useless.  Have  you  not 
written  all  those  splendid  books  the  papers 
praise,  and  how  could  I  live  without  you  when 
I  love  you  so?  " 

The  eager  voice  seemed  to  break  the  sad 
ness  which  had  settled  on  us  all.  The  old  ser 
vant  entered  with  lamps,  and  realizing  the  late 
ness  of  the  hour  I  rose  to  leave.  I  expressed 
my  pleasure  at  the  chance  which  had  brought 
me  there. 

Lord  Carnsforth  held  out  his  hand  in  fare 
well,  begging  me  to  come  again  soon.  "  It  has 
been  like  a  breeze  from  your  '  Rockies '  to  see 
you,"  he  said. 

Lady  Gladys  showed  me  to  the  door.  And 
so  I  left  her  at  the  top  of  the  steps,  a  gray  little 
ghost  in  the  evening  mist. 


88 


Chapter  II 


ON  my  return  to  the  yacht,  I  joined  my 
host  who  was  having  a  smoke  at  the 
bow. 

"  Keith,"  I  said,  throwing  myself  on  the  rug 
at  his  side,  "  did  you  ever  hear  in  your  country 
of  Lord  Carnsforth  ?  I  have  recently  heard  of 
him  as  having  a  peculiar  history." 

"  Carnsforth,"  he  replied,  "  of  course  I  have. 
His  place,  Carnsforth  Heyes,  is  in  the  adjoining 
county  to  my  summer  home,  and  we  frequently 
drive  over  the  estate,  as  indeed  everyone  does, 
to  see  the  remains  of  one  of  the  finest  seats  in 
the  Kingdom." 

"  What  was  the  cause  of  his  misfortunes?  " 
I  asked. 

"  A  scapegrace  son,"  said  he.  "  The  greatest 
gambler  who  ever  disgraced  his  country  at 
Monaco.  He  lost  heavily  at  home  on  the  turf 
and  then  his  passion  led  him  to  Monte  Carlo, 
where  he  sunk  more  than  the  entire  value  of 


89 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

the  family  estate.  He  then  shot  himself  at 
the  door  of  the  Casino." 

"  Married,  wasn't  he?  " 

"  Yes !  He  had  married  into  the  Cadogan 
family  in  the  face  of  their  bitter  opposition — 
owing  to  his  well-known  character ;  in  fact  they 
never  forgave  the  wife,  and  she  has  been  com 
pelled  to  share  the  Carnsforth  misfortunes." 

"  What  became  of  Carnsforth  Heyes  ?  " 

"  Creditors  took  possession,  but  out  of  re 
spect  to  the  Earl's  age  and  troubles,  they  al 
lowed  him  the  use  of  three  or  four  rooms  dur 
ing  his  life,  and  a  pony  chaise  for  driving  about 
the  Park.  Frequently,  while  driving  four-in- 
hand  through  his  place,  we  have  met,  and  I 
recalled  the  old  saw  about  the  '  whirligig  of 
time.'  The  avenues  of  trees  planted  by  his  an 
cestors  centuries  ago,  are  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  country.  Every  ancient  seat  has  its 
special  feature,  but  those  avenues  of  mammoth 
trees  with  their  noble  vistas  are  unequaled  even 
in  the  Park  at  Windsor. 

"  But  the  old  Earl's  pride  could  not  brook 
90 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

such  a  position  long  in  his  ancestral  halls.  His 
heart  was  broken,  and  in  a  few  years  he  dis 
appeared  with  his  daughter-in-law  and  her  child 
— it  was  said,  to  live  in  some  retired  village 
in  France." 


Chapter  III 


AFTER  this  conversation  some  days  were 
spent  in  the  usual  round  of  mild  dis 
sipations  at  Nassau,  but  my  mind  wan 
dered  continually  to  my  enchanted  island.  I 
had  said  nothing  of  my  interesting  episode, 
knowing  that  the  idle  folk  would  straightway 
wish  to  gratify  their  curiosity.  One  day  a  rain 
storm  was  sending  the  clouds  scurrying  across 
a  sullen  sky,  and  I  decided  to  see  my  little 
princess  again.  I  wanted  to  escape  unques 
tioned  and  unnoticed.  Most  of  the  party  were 
congregated  at  the  Colonial  Hotel,  playing  ping 
pong.  Feeling  I  should  not  be  missed,  I 
donned  a  mackintosh  and  rowed  off  in  the 
storm. 

Nature  was  a  study  in  brown  and  gray — sky, 
sand  dunes  and  water,  all  were  in  one  tone  of 
colorless  bleakness.  I  climbed  the  causeway, 
and  after  a  rapid  walk,  reached  the  house.  It 
looked  more  desolate  than  ever.  The  rain 
splashed  on  the  moldy  walks,  whirled  against 
92 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

the  walls  in  spasmodic  fury,  and  fell  in  streams 
from  the  mossy  eaves  upon  the  weeds  below. 
Rose  leaves,  whipped  off  by  the  wind,  lay  in 
red  and  pink  drifts  on  every  side. 

I  knocked  vigorously,  to  be  sent  tumbling  in 
by  the  wind  over  Lady  Gladys,  who  had  opened 
the  door.  She  danced  about  with  delight  as  I 
doffed  my  dripping  garments,  her  golden  head 
a  veritable  sunbeam  in  the  grim  hall. 

"  Oh !  I  knew  you  would  come,"  she  cried. 
"  I  was  just  longing  to  see  you  and  have 
watched  for  you  all  day."  Then  her  face  grew 
grave ;  she  pulled  my  face  down  to  hers. 

"  I  wanted  to  see  you,"  she  whispered,  "  for 
grandpa  has  been  acting  so  strangely.  I'm 
sure  something  troubles  him.  Last  night  he 
moaned  when  he  thought  me  asleep,  and  when 
I  ran  to  him  he  said,  '  Nothing,  child,  only  a 
bad  dream.' ' 

We  reached  the  room  where  Lord  Carns- 

forth  was  sitting.    A  fire  burned  on  the  hearth, 

sending  a  rosy  warmth  about  the  room.     By 

its  light  I  saw  he  had  aged  since  I  last  saw  him. 

93 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

When  we  had  exchanged  greetings  he  left  the 
conversation  to  Lady  Gladys.  I  drew  a  chair 
up  to  the  hearth,  the  child  leaning  against  me. 
He  noticed  this,  and  called  her  to  him,  and 
clasped  her  closely,  looking  gloomily  at  me 
over  her  sunny  head.  I  tried  different  topics 
of  conversation  but  in  vain ;  the  courteous  host 
of  my  previous  visit  remained  silent,  looking 
moodily  into  the  fire.  At  last  Lady  Gladys 
relieved  my  embarrassment  by  saying; — "  Saint 
Pere,  I'm  going  to  show  him  the  house ;  "  so 
we  left  the  room  he  vouchsafing  no  reply. 

When  the  door  closed  behind  us  she  looked 
at  me  with  trembling  lips.  "  You  see  there 
is-  something,"  she  said.  "  He  has  been  that 
way  for  two  days.  Sometimes  he  seems  quite 
to  forget  me,  and  just  sits  there  and  thinks, 
thinks.  Then,  again,  he  won't  let  me  leave  him 
even  for  an  instant,  and  kisses  me  so  hard  it 
hurts." 

She  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears.  I  sat  down 
and  drew  the  trembling  little  figure  into  my 


94 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

arms.  That  something  had  occurred  I  did  not 
doubt. 

"  He  is  probably  not  well,  Gladys,"  I  said. 
"  You  know  when  one  is  old,  one  is  apt  to  have 
moods  like  that.  Doubtless  it  will  pass  away 
like  those  clouds  out  there,  and  we'll  soon  have 
the  sun  shining  as  brightly  as  ever." 

Gradually  the  sobs  ceased,  and  the  storm 
of  grief  subsided  as  quickly  as  it  had  come. 
So  hand  in  hand  we  passed  through  several 
rooms  whose  web-covered  windows  let  enough 
light  through  to  show  their  bareness,  and  came 
to  a  once  gaily  decorated  ball-room. 

The  stately  drawing-room  was  quite  empty 
of  furniture  except  a  few  old-fashioned  pieces 
— mute  remnants  of  a  once  brilliant  home.  As 
Gladys  was  about  taking  me  farther  Allan  ap 
peared  and  announced  tea,  and  I  for  one  was 
glad  to  get  back  to  the  warmth  and  cheer  of 
the  fire. 

Lord  Carnsforth  turned  to  the  child.  "  My 
darling,  you  are  not  dressed;  run  and  ask 


95 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

Tabby  to  give  you  a  better  frock  in  honor  of 
our  guest."  The  child  seemed  surprised,  but 
did  as  she  was  bidden.  When  her  light  foot 
fall  died  away  he  roused  himself  and  said: — 

"  You  may  be  surprised  that  I  should  speak 
to  you  on  a  matter  of  so  personal  a  nature,  but 
I  have  a  question  to  decide  which  involves  the 
life  and  happiness  of  that  child,  and  much  suf 
fering  for  her  as  well  as  for  myself.  I  cannot 
refrain  from  soliciting  the  sound  judgment  and 
sympathy  which  I  feel  sure  you  will  give  me." 
His  voice  sank  almost  to  a  whisper.  He  shaded 
his  eyes  from  the  fire  and  continued : — 

"  You  may  have  already  learned  of  my  un 
fortunate  circumstances.  I  have  reached  my 
threescore  years  and  ten,  and  my  little  Gladys 
will  soon  be  left  without  a  home.  She  loves 
me,  and  I  had  hoped  to  have  that  love  spared 
me  to  the  end,  but  I  fear  it  is  to  be  otherwise. 
Two  days  since  I  received  a  letter  from  a  dis 
tant  relative  by  marriage,  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Stret- 
field,  a  woman  of  position  and  wealth,  offering 
to  take  Gladys,  educate  and  provide  for  her  on 
96 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

the  condition  " — the  old  man  paused,  as  though 
to  gather  strength — "  that  I  give  her  to  her 
keeping  immediately.  She  is  now  about  seven, 
and  these  years  have  been  comparatively  wasted 
as  far  as  conventional  education  is  concerned. 
That  she  must  leave  me  I  begin  to  realize,  but 
my  love  prevents  me  clearly  appreciating  the 
importance  and  advantage  of  the  offer." 

He  leaned  forward  and  gazed  for  a  moment 
into  a  vacancy  from  which  he  returned  with  a 
suppressed  shudder. 

"  I  have  not  told  Gladys  yet.  It  is  the  want 
of  a  little  human  sympathy  which  has  made  me 
tell  you  this.  The  prospect  of  loneliness  is  ter 
rible,  and  I  pray  God  it  may  not  be  long.  Sir, 
can  you  comprehend  what  it  means  for  me? 
From  her  infancy  she  has  been  my  all.  Her 
laugh  is  my  lost  youth ;  her  faintest  sigh  a  keen 
pain  to  me.  She  may  learn  to  forget,  she  is  so 
young.  It  would  be  but  natural,  but  the 
thought  of  it  seems  almost  more  than  I  can 
bear.  The  long  days  here  alone,  and  still  alone 
till  the  end."  The  quivering  voice  paused. 
97 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

"  Dear  Lord  Carnsforth,"  I  said,  "  I  am  in 
expressibly  grieved  by  what  you  have  told  me, 
but  it  is  the  inexorable  law  that  the  old  must 
surrender  to  the  young.  Were  you  to  be  taken 
from  her,  the  shelter  and  care  which  are  now 
offered  would  in  all  probability  prove  an  im 
measurable  blessing.  Besides  she  could  some 
times  come  to  you  here,  and  you  would  con 
stantly  be  informed  of  her  growth  and  educa 
tion." 

He  interrupted  me  with  a  feeble  gesture. 
"  You  mistake  there,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  prob 
ably  never  see  her.  The  family  of  the  child's 
mother  never  approved  of  the  marriage,  and 
Mrs.  Stretfield  is  on  her  side  of  the  house.  She 
takes  Gladys  for  her  mother's  sake,  not  mine. 
But  the  child  is  coming — say  nothing." 

He  relapsed  into  silence  as  Lady  Gladys 
bounded  into  the  room  in  her  fresh  white  gown. 
She  noticed  neither  Lord  Carnsforth's  silence 
nor  my  abstraction,  but  clambered  into  a  high 
chair  to  pour  tea.  The  firelight  played  on  the 
little  hands  as  they  hovered  over  the  shining 
98 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

silver  and  fragile  old  cups,  and  danced  in  fan 
tastic  shadows  over  the  silent  figure  in  the 
chair.  The  hound  rose  and  pushed  his  nose 
into  the  nerveless  hand,  but  got  no  answering 
caress. 


99 


Chapter  IV 


"All  things  are  transient. 
They  being  born  have  lived, 
And  having  lived  are  dead, 
And  being  dead  are  glad 
To  be  at  rest." 
Inscription  on  an  ancient  Hindoo  bell. 

A  FEW  days  after,  when  starting  for  my 
morning  swim,  a  note  was  handed 
me.  It  ran  thus : — "  Lady  Gladys 
leaves  in  a  few  hours,  and  would  bid  her  friend 
good-by. — Carnsforth." 

I  found  Lord  Carnsforth  sitting  under  a 
giant  oak  near  the  house,  but  very  shrunken 
and  enfeebled.  Gladys  was  not  there.  Near 
him  sat  a  handsome  woman  of  about  five-and- 
thirty.  With  an  indescribable  air  of  thorough 
breeding  she  turned  her  well  poised  head  to 
acknowledge  the  introduction,  and  raised  a 
lorgnette  to  her  cool,  gray  eyes. 

"  I  am  very  pleased  to  meet  you,"  she  said, 
with  a  slight  drawl.  "  Lady  Gladys  has  spoken 
of  you." 

100 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

I  told  her  of  our  unexpected  meeting  and  her 
fine  mouth  parted  in  a  low  rippling  laugh. 

"  She  has  not  been  so  fortunate  in  meeting 
as  many  of  your  countrymen  as  I  have,"  she 
replied. 

"  Just  before  leaving  London  I  went  out  to 
dinner  with  quite  an  interesting  American,  a 
Mr.  Bill— Mr.  Buffalo  Bill— I  believe.  He  was 
from  Arizona.  Do  you  know  him?  He  was, 
ah ! — somewhat  unusual." 

With  a  suppressed  smile  I  expressed  my  re 
gret  at  not  having  that  pleasure,  that,  in  fact, 
I  knew  but  few  people  in  Arizona.  Whether 
the  woman  was  chaffing  me  or  not  I  could  not 
tell.  Her  thin  mouth  was  smileless,  and  her 
drawl  quite  even.  Just  then  a  small  figure 
coming  down  the  terrace  steps  sent  all  thoughts 
of  "  Mr.  Bill "  out  of  my  mind. 

Such  a  pathetic  vision  as  came  toward  us 
across  the  lawn.  The  face  was  as  white  as  a 
drenched  lily.  Dark  circles  lay  under  the  violet 
eyes,  which  looked  from  one  to  the  other  of 
us  with  dull  uncertainty.  The  mouth  was 
101 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

folded  into  straight,  sad  lines.  All  bloom  and 
youth  seemed  suddenly  to  have  been  crushed 
out  of  her.  She  went  to  Lord  Carnsforth  and 
leaned  against  him.  For  a  moment  no  one 
spoke.  Those  two  silent  figures  seemed  to 
destroy  even  Mrs.  Stretfield's  well  bred  com 
posure.  At  last  I  said : — 

"  Dear  little  Gladys,  won't  you  come  and 
speak  to  me?  "  She  listlessly  turned  her  head 
and  gave  me  a  limp  hand.  I  lifted  the  wan 
little  face  till  the  lustreless  eyes  looked  into 
mine. 

"  And  so  you  are  to  leave  us  for  the  great 
world  you  once  so  longed  to  see.  You  will  find 
many  new  friends  there,  but  I  feel  that  you  will 
not  forget  the  old  ones.  Perhaps  we  may 
meet  some  day  when  you  will  have  grown  to  be 
a  fine  lady.  I  shall  remind  you  of  our  first 
meeting  under  the  beech  tree  and  ask  you  if 
you  remember  how  to  make  rabbits  out  of  my 
pocket  handkerchief." 

She  did  not  even  smile  in  response,  but 
looked  into  my  eyes  as  though  no  word  had 
102 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

reached  her.  Lord  Carnsforth  stirred  in  his 
chair  and  she  ran  to  him. 

"  My  little  bairn,  will,  I  hope,  become  a  noble 
woman,"  he  said  in  a  faint  voice.  "  I  am  sorry 
that  I  shall  not  be  here  to  see  her  then."  For 
answer  the  child  clasped  his  hand  convulsively 
to  her  breast.  Mrs.  Stretfield  leaned  forward 
and  said  sweetly : — 

"  Gladys  dear,  it  seems  very  hard  to  leave 
your  home,  I  know,  but  your  new  life  will  be 
so  full  of  other  interest  you  will  soon  forget." 

The  child  turned  on  her  with  despairing 
fury.  "  Forget !  "  she  cried ;  "  I  wish  I  had 
never  seen  you,  that  you  should  take  me  away. 
I  feel  that  I  shall  hate  you.  You  are  cold,  as 
cold  as  stone.  You  will  never  love  me.  No, 
not  even  as  much  as  Allan  and  Tabby.  And 
how  can  Grandpa  live  without  me?  Who  is  to 
take  care  of  him  when  I  am  gone  ?  Oh !  Grand 
pa,  Grandpa,  don't  send  me  away." 

She  burst  into  a  storm  of  tears.  Mrs.  Stret 
field  looked  at  her  jewelled  watch.  I  took  the 
hint  and  rose  to  go.  Raising  the  trembling 
103 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

little  figure  in  my  arms  I  kissed  her.  "  Good- 
by,  little  one,"  I  whispered.  "  Be  brave  and 
true,  and  God  keep  you." 

I  set  her  down  and  turned  to  Mrs.  Stretfield, 
standing  calm  and  tall  in  her  sweeping  draper 
ies. 

"  We  both  know  that  it  is  for  her  good  that 
she  should  go,"  I  said.  "  But  she  is  a  child 
and  has  never  known  anything  but  love.  I  feel 
sure  you  will  be  gentle  with  her." 

She  swept  me  with  a  charming,  supercilious 
glance.  "  Do  not  imagine  she  goes  to  a  prison, 
and  that  I  am  the  cruel  jailer,"  she  said.  "  I 
am  already  much  attached  to  my  little  kins 
woman." 

With  a  bow  over  her  extended  hand,  and  a 
last  glance  at  the  child  sobbing  in  Lord  Carns- 
forth's  arms,  I  left  them.  All  through  the 
gay  luncheon,  and  later,  as  our  merry  party 
steamed  over  the  lucid  torquoise  waters  of  the 
harbor,  I  was  haunted  by  the  scene  of  that 
morning.  There  was  laughter  and  chatter 
around  me,  and  mandolins  tinkled  to  the  sing- 
104 


GRANT   TOWN 


THE  END  OF  AN  EARLDOM 

ing  of  the  young  people.  A  pretty  girl,  who 
sat  next  to  me,  turned  to  her  neighbor. 

"  He  is  so  spasmodic,"  I  heard  her  say,  "  he 
either  talks  too  much,  or  not  at  all." 

When  we  once  more  dropped  anchor,  I  found 
it  still  lacked  over  an  hour  to  dinner  and  I 
started  for  the  island.  I  could  bear  no  longer 
the  thought  of  Lord  Carnsforth,  companionless 
and  without  sympathy. 

To  my  surprise  I  found  him  sitting  on  the 
piazza,  the  hound  at  his  feet.  I  softly  climbed 
the  moldy  steps  and  approached  him.  He  was 
asleep.  Roses  clambered  over  the  broken  balus 
trade,  and  swallows  darted  and  twittered  about 
him,  now  skimming  low,  then  flashing  above 
to  the  mossy  eaves. 

The  air  moved  the  thin  locks  above  his  fore 
head  ;  a  look  as  of  youth  had  settled  about  the 
mouth.  The  deep  lines  and  furrows  seemed  to 
have  been  smoothed  away  by  some  gentle  hand, 
leaving  an  expression  of  perfect  rest  and  peace. 

Suddenly  the  hound  rose  and  stood  motion 
less  looking  into  his  master's  face,  and  stoop- 
105 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

ing,  licked  the  hand  which  hung  over  the  chair's 
arm.  Then  raising  his  head  he  broke  into  a 
long,  dismal  howl. 

I  bent  forward.  No  breath  stirred  the  chest. 
The  hound's  mournful  cry  was  the  dirge  of  an 
earldom. 


106 


PRINCE  CHARMING 
OF  MIAMI 


PRINCE  CHARMING 
OF  MIAMI 

Chapter  I 

If  all  the  birds  sang  out  of  tune 
When  winds  their  plumage  tossed. 

If  flowers  imprisoned  their  perfume 
When  they  their  sun-god  lost, 

If  brooks  refused  to  dance  and  play 

When  pools  were  dark  with  shadows  grayv— 
Sad  would  Dame  Nature  be! 

If  all  the  pain  on  worn  hearts  Iain 

No  surface  smiles  concealed. 
Had  all  the  tears  in  all  past  years 

Been  from  their  depths  revealed; 
If  Love  could  not  Grief's  course  restrain. 
Choke  back  the  tears,  crush  down  the  pain. 
Fruitless  would  be  Love's  plea. 


M 


I  AM  I    seemed  as  dead  as  its    patron 
saint  that  hot,  breathless  afternoon. 
The  sun  beat  down  into  the  narrow 
streets  and  on  the  closed  blinds  of  the  quaint, 
white-washed  houses,  whose  overhanging  bal- 
109 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

conies  made  the  only  shade  in  the  general  glare. 
In  the  sleepy  old  gardens  not  a  leaf  or  bird 
stirred.  Blisters  rose  on  the  new  paint  of  the 
Plaza  railing,  and  even  the  negroes  lying  on 
the  benches  were  compelled  to  move  their  sun- 
loving  bodies  into  the  shade.  The  sea  wall  was 
deserted.  On  the  narrow  strip  of  sand  left  by 
the  receding  tide,  "  fiddlers  "  sidled  to  and  fro, 
and  the  delicate  sea  moss  clinging  to  the  co- 
quina  turned  to  brown  nothingness  in  the  in 
tense  heat.  To  the  west,  beyond  the  palm 
groves,  gray  shadows  were  gathering,  which 
meant  a  storm,  later  on. 

Old  Lopo  Sanchez,  perched  on  his  springless 
wooden  cart,  noticed  the  western  shadows  and 
urged  his  ambling  steed  to  a  trot,  which  jolted 
his  stiff  joints  and  caused  the  horse's  ears  to 
flap  in  unison  with  its  rattling  harness.  Lopo 
presented  a  curious  appearance,  owing  to  a 
large  piece  of  burlap  tied  to  the  top  of  his  green 
umbrella,  which,  falling  down  and  around  him, 
looked  not  unlike  a  nun's  veil.  From  under  its 
ragged  edge  peered  his  elongated  visage,  with 
no 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

thin  locks  falling  over  the  bent  shoulders.  The 
brown  skin  and  browner  eyes  told  of  Spanish 
blood,  but  there  was  little  of  Spanish  pride  or 
spirit  in  the  lined  old  face.  Twenty  years  be 
fore  he  had  fallen  in  love  with  a  young  North 
ern  girl  who  taught  the  rising  generation  in  the 
yellow  school  house.  He  wooed  and  won  her 
in  true  Southern  fashion,  though  the  town  won 
dered  that  the  "  school  missus  "  should  take 
good-for-nothing  Lopo  Sanchez  for  her  hus 
band.  He  had  adored  her  as  a  weak  nature 
will  sometimes  adore  a  stronger  one.  Her 
thrift  and  mental  briskness  he  admired,  though 
but  dimly  understood,  and  when  she  died  after 
the  birth  of  their  baby  daughter,  he  felt  that 
something  in  him  had  snapped — the  main 
spring  of  his  life  was  broken. 

He  sold  out  his  curiosity  shop  and  moved 
out  of  town  a  couple  of  miles  to  a  deserted 
plantation  on  the  shore.  There,  surrounded  by 
relics  of  the  home  to  which  he  had  brought  his 
girl-wife  he  gradually  separated  himself  from 
his  old  interests,  and  was  soon  forgotten,  or 
in 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

only  remembered  as  that  queer  old  man  who 
lived  with  the  crabs  on  the  edge  of  the  sand 
dunes.  Round  his  daughter  he  twined  the 
broken  tendrils  of  his  lost  love,  and  as  she 
grew  to  girlhood,  wreathed  her  with  the  same 
adoring  affection  he  had  felt  for  her  dead 
mother. 

But  somehow  he  was  not  as  happy  as  he  told 
himself  he  should  be.  Was  not  Ria  a  girl  to 
be  proud  of  ?  Had  she  not  a  face  like  a  flower, 
and  ways  the  most  gentle  and  bewitching? 
But  he  felt  that  she  had  never  given  him  an 
affection  as  ardent  and  unselfish  as  his  own. 
He  thought  he  must  be  growing  old  and  selfish, 
and  when  his  heart  felt  particularly  empty, 
would  tend  his  potato  patch  with  renewed 
vigor,  or  try  by  some  little  attention  to  make 
up  for  her  lack  of  thoughtfulness  for  him. 

The  two  led  simple  lives;  solitary,  save  for 
the  woman  who  helped  Ria  in  her  household 
matters,  and  their  weekly  visit  to  town  to  sell 
their  oranges  or  flowers.  For  eight  years  Ria 
had  studied  at  the  convent,  and  read  somewhat 
112 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

promiscuously  from  the  public  library,  but  she 
loved  far  better  to  lie  for  hours  like  a  lizard  in 
the  sun,  or  take  "  headers  "  from  the  end  of 
their  dugout.  Her  father  she  loved  in  a  gentle 
fashion.  She  would  cling  and  purr  around  him 
in  her  pretty  way,  though  much  in  the  same 
way  that  her  kitten  would  rub  itself  against  a 
tree-trunk.  It  pleased  her  mental  epidermis. 

As  the  cart  jolted  on  over  the  sandy  road, 
Lopo  thought  vaguely  of  these  things,  but  only 
vaguely,  for  something  had  occurred  lately 
which  occupied  all  his  spare  moments. 

A  fortnight  before,  on  coming  from  the 
beach,  he  found  Ria  under  the  orange  trees 
with  her  lace  work,  and  kneeling  before  her,  a 
tall  young  fellow,  whose  blue  eyes  were  watch 
ing  with  interest  her  little  brown  hands,  cast 
ing  the  shuttle  to  and  fro. 

She  was  smiling  and  dimpling,  and  he  seemed 
all  unconscious  of  the  brown  earth  his  white 
flannel  knees  were  pressing.  When  Lopo 
joined  them  the  young  fellow  had  risen  with 
unembarrassed  grace,  and  explained  that  hav- 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

ing  walked  from  the  town  and  feeling  very 
tired  and  thirsty,  he  had  ventured  to  ask  for 
some  water.  Lopo  replied  civilly,  though  won 
dering  what  lace  work  had  to  do  with  thirst, 
and  why  Ria's  face  should  be  so  aglow. 

To  the  girl  the  stranger  was  the  Prince 
Charming,  of  whom  she  had  so  often  dreamed. 
To  be  sure  he  had  no  flowing  curls  or  silken 
doublet,  but,  after  all,  were  not  close-cropped 
hair  and  well-fitting  flannels  as  comely?  She 
looked  from  him  to  her  father  standing  awk 
wardly  in  the  sun — how  rough  and  ugly  he 
looked.  Dick  Barclay  was  not  looking  at  Lopo, 
but  at  his  daughter  with  her  dusky  eyes  and 
soft,  full  mouth.  Indeed  he  had  continued  that 
occupation  every  day  ever  since.  Day  by  day 
the  girl  seemed  to  blossom  into  greater  beauty 
— a  thousand  little  coquetries  showed  them 
selves  to  Lopo's  observant  eyes.  The  young 
man  seemed  to  mean  well  enough,  and  it  might 
mean  great  good  fortune  for  his  little  girl. 

He  turned  "  Fly  Catcher "  into  the  grove 
surrounding  the  house,  and,  feeling  in  his 
pocket  for  the  ribbon  he  had  bought  her,  he 
114 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

stroked  it  with  his  fingers.  He  drove  around 
to  the  shed  fed  his  horse,  then  went  slowly 
up  the  path  bordered  by  tall  oleanders,  to  the 
house.  He  felt  faint  and  tired.  At  the  open 
door  he  paused  and  looked  in. 

Hither  and  thither  spun  a  slender  white  fig 
ure,  her  skirts  held  in  old-time  fashion,  while 
her  feet  kept  time  to  the  waltz  she  was  singing 
She  spun  round  and  round,  here  and  there,  like 
a  bit  of  thistle-down,  her  head  thrown  back  in 
very  abandonment  of  joyous  animation.  The 
walls  and  ceiling  of  the  room  were  covered  with 
ivy,  which  grew  on  bamboo  trellises,  nailed  to 
the  coquina ;  against  this  dark  background  the 
airy  figure  of  the  girl  stood  out  in  spirited  dis 
tinctness.  Dick  Barclay  sat  perched  on  the 
window-sill,  his  blue  eyes  following  every 
movement  with  evident  admiration. 

"  Brava!  Brava!  "  he  cried,  as  she  passed  in 
her  whirling  flight.  "  You  are  a  fairy,  a  wind 
sprite." 

She  laughed,  and  stood  in  pretty  confusion, 
pulling  at  the  roses  in  her  belt.     "  You  see," 
she  said,  "  father  will  never  let  me  go  to  the 
US 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

hotel  hops,  so  sometimes  I  have  a  ball  all  to 
myself.  I  imagine  the  room,"  with  a  free 
sweep  of  her  arm,  "  a  great  hall  lit  by  hun 
dreds  of  glittering  lights  shining  down  on 
stately  men  and  beautiful  women.  There  are 
perfumes  and  laughter,  rustle  of  silks  and  bril 
liant  glances,  and  all  the  bright  and  beautiful 
things  I  read  about.  Oh!  I  can  see  it  quite 
distinctly,  and  can  hear  the  music,  till  I  have  to 
dance,  dance." 

She  paused,  seeing  Lopo  in  the  doorway,  and 
ran  to  him. 

"  Oh !  father — your  supper.  I  quite  forgot 
and  it  must  be  cold.  We  made  some  cakes, 
Mr.  Barclay  and  I.  You  should  have  seen  him 
in  Melvyna's  old  apron."  She  turned  to  her 
companion  with  a  laugh.  Lopo  passed  through 
to  the  kitchen,  and  cut  himself  some  bread,  after 
tasting  the  cakes  now  cold  and  heavy.  He  had 
not  given  Ria  the  ribbon.  With  her  head  full 
of  such  splendid  fancies  it  would  have  seemed 
a  poor  gift.  Through  the  closed  door  he  could 
hear  a  murmur  of  words  from  Dick,  then  a 
116 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

ripple  of  laughter  from  her.  He  suddenly  felt 
old  and  tired.  He  looked  at  the  sun,  a  red  ball 
sinking  behind  the  bank  of  dark  shadows.  He 
felt  a  strange  longing  to  be  far  away,  alone, 
where  nothing  could  jar  or  hurt  him  any  more, 
where  the  hungry  feeling  at  his  heart  could  be 
forgotten.  Rising  he  crossed  to  where  a  bit 
of  mirror  hung  on  the  wall.  Putting  his  face 
close  to  it  he  examined  it  carefully.  He  saw 
a  pair  of  dull  eyes,  a  pained  look  in  their  depths ; 
a  thin,  worn  face,  sensitive  chin  and  mouth, 
with  weak  lines  at  the  corners.  He  glanced 
down  at  his  rough  hands  and  coarse  wrists, — 
then  brushing  his  coat  sleeve  across  his  eyes, 
went  quietly  out. 


Chapter  II 


A  WEEK  of  sea-breezes  followed  the 
storm  of  that  night.  Lopo  spent 
most  of  the  time  fishing  or  gathering 
the  oranges,  which  hung  in  golden  plenty  be 
hind  the  house.  Ria  sang  about  the  house  or 
lay  for  hours  on  the  sand,  her  head  on  her 
arms,  looking  up  to  the  blue  vault  above,  where 
hawks  sailed  lazily  on  motionless  wings.  Dick 
Barclay  continued  his  daily  visits,  each  one 
being  a  little  longer  than  the  last.  Lopo 
noticed  their  talk  was  less  unconstrained  when 
he  was  near,  so  kept  away  as  much  as  possible. 
The  young  fellow  entertained  her  by  the  hour 
with  stories  of  his  travels,  or  his  home  in  far 
away  New  York.  He  explained  to  her  the 
mysteries  of  base  ball,  and  would  send  oranges 
whirling  through  the  air  shouting  to  her, 
"Run!  run!  first  base!"  But  she  liked  best 
to  hear  of  the  Assembly  balls,  or  coasting  at 
Tuxedo.  It  seemed  very  wonderful  and  grand. 
One  evening  she  nestled  herself  in  her  father's 
118 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

arms  and  told  him  all  about  it.  "  Oh !  why 
can't  I  go  where  he  lives  ?  "  she  sighed. 

One  scented  moonlit  evening  Lopo  had  spent 
making  out  his  accounts  in  his  slow,  cramped 
fashion  by  the  light  of  a  kerosene  lamp.  Mos 
quitoes  came  buzzing  through  the  window  and 
beetles  bumped  about  the  ceiling.  At  last  he 
put  out  the  lamp  and  went  out.  Through  the 
jasmine  vines  covering  the  piazza  the  moon 
cast  flickering  shadows;  a  mocking  bird  was 
singing  in  the  almond  tree.  Lopo  was  con 
scious  in  his  sensitive  fashion  of  the  peaceful 
scene.  He  heard  the  murmur  of  the  young 
people  and  went  toward  them.  Suddenly  he 
paused,  a  dazed  look  growing  on  his  face.  In 
a  shadowy  corner  stood  Dick,  his  arm  around 
the  girl,  her  face  hidden  on  his  breast. 

"  Oh !  Ria,  little  one,"  he  was  saying,  "  you 
don't  know  what  love  is.  It  means  longing  by 
day  and  dreaming  by  night;  it  means  this — 
this."  He  raised  her  face  and  kissed  her 
mouth,  hair  and  slender  throat.  Lopo  stirred ; 
Dick,  startled,  looked  up,  then  sprang  down, 
119 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

ran  to  his  horse  and  away.  Ria,  with  a  little 
cry,  fled  past  him  into  the  house. 

He  stood  bewildered  for  a  moment,  looking 
out  on  the  sea,  listening  to  the  receding  sound 
of  the  horse's  hoofs.  "  So  he  loves  her,"  he 
murmured,  then  turned  and  went  into  the  house 
and  up  to  his  room.  The  moonlight  showed  the 
bare  furnishings  distinctly :  the  narrow  bed,  the 
Madonna  and  crucifix  on  the  wall,  a  few 
daguerreotypes  on  the  high  bureau.  The  vines 
outside  cast  shadows  like  moving  water  on  the 
painted  floor  and  bit  of  rag  carpet. 

He  sat  quietly  for  some  time,  his  lips  moving 
and  eyes  fixed  on  vacancy,  then  rose  and 
crossed  to  an  old-fashioned  chest  of  drawers 
with  brass  handles,  which  stood  in  a  dim  corner 
under  the  eaves.  He  knelt  stiffly  down  and 
opened  the  lowest  drawer.  Out  of  this  he  drew 
a  long-tailed  blue  coat,  a  snuff-colored  waist 
coat,  and  ruffled  shirt,  his  wedding  clothes. 
Slowly,  with  trembling  fingers  he  put  these  on, 
fastened  the  high  stock  round  his  throat  and 
drew  on  a  pair  of  mold-spotted  white  gloves, 
1 20 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

Then  taking  from  the  drawer  a  beaver  hat,  he 
went  down,  and  out  of  the  house. 

It  was  midnight.  He  left  the  gate  open  be 
hind  him,  and  followed  the  road  through  the 
woods  to  the  shore.  The  tide  was  at  its  ebb. 
His  heavy  boots  crushed  with  a  faint  sound 
the  bits  of  shell  on  the  sand.  No  living  thing 
seemed  alive  but  himself  and  a  crane,  disturbed 
from  its  sleep  among  the  reeds.  Tiny  waves 
ran  up  to  the  shore  and  back  again,  and  some 
crabs  scuttled  swiftly  to  their  holes  as  though 
frightened  by  the  strange,  lonely  figure.  Lopo 
plodded  on  with  bent  head  for  a  mile,  then 
turned  into  a  lane  which  led  to  the  grave-yard. 
No  tree  or  shrub  grew  there,  only  the  brown 
moss,  dotted  with  graves,  stretched  down  to 
the  shore.  The  ruins  of  a  chapel  stood  bare 
and  gaunt  in  the  pale  light,  with  vines  grow 
ing  over  its  shattered  altar. 

Lopo  looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  left  but 
passed  on  to  a  low  mound  near  the  water's 
edge.  On  a  wooden  cross  at  its  head,  painted 
in  black  letters  were  the  words : — 

121 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

RACHAEL, 
BELOVED  WIFE  OF  LOPO  SANCHEZ, 

BORN  1847,  DIED  1866. 


At  the  foot  of  the  cross  I  lived,  and  now  repose. 

He  laid  down  his  hat,  and  lovingly  stroked 
the  brown  turf.  The  shadow  of  the  cross  fell 
on  his  bent  head.  He  felt  he  was  near  one  who 
had  loved  him  and  who  would  understand. 
Was  not  the  only  living  thing  he  cared  for 
about  to  leave  him,  and  give  her  wealth  of  love, 
which  never  had  been  his,  to  a  stranger  ?  That 
she  loved,  he  was  convinced;  for  the  instant 
her  face  had  been  lifted  to  Dick's  rain  of  kisses 
— there  was  a  look  there  he  had  never  seen  be 
fore  in  all  the  years  of  her  love-tended  life. 
She  had  always  shrunk  from  his  caresses — 
perhaps  he  had  loved  her  too  well — he  had 
heard  women  were  sometimes  so.  Dick  would 
come  on  the  morrow  and  ask  him  for  his  all, 
his  little  girl,  and  carry  her  North,  many  weary 
miles  away.  How  he  would  miss  the  click  of 
122 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

her  little  feet  about  the  house;  the  warmth  of 
her  young  arms  about  his  neck.  His  heart 
shrank  before  the  vista  of  loneliness.  She 
should  not  go  poorly  to  her  husband ;  he  would 
give  her  the  two  thousand  dollars  he  had  saved. 
She  had  always  liked  things  fine  and  gay ;  well, 
she  should  have  them.  Perhaps  she  might 
miss  the  old  peaceful  life  now  and  then,  and 
come  back  to  him  for  a  while,  but  he  thought 
not.  Her  little  brown  hands  would  grow  soft 
and  white,  there  would  be  no  more  cakes  to 
make  or  chickens  to  feed.  She  would  have 
many  fine  horses  instead  of  old  Fly  Catcher, 
and  ride  in  a  splendid  carriage  instead  of  the 
wooden  cart.  Yes,  he  would  tell  this  fine  lover 
on  the  morrow  to  take  her,  and  no  sign  should 
escape  him  of  any  selfish  pain. 

The  shadow  of  the  cross  had  passed  from 
him  and  the  moon  bathed  the  old  blue  coat  with 
kindly  light.  He  was  still  sitting  there  when 
the  stars  paled  before  the  gold  and  rose  of  the 
coming  day. 


123 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

It  was  nearly  ten  o'clock.  Lopo  put  the 
house  in  order  and  ate  his  breakfast  alone.  He 
had  stolen  several  times  to  Ria's  door  on  tiptoe, 
but  no  sound  reached  him.  He  supposed  she 
had  slept  but  little  during  the  night  and  felt 
tired.  Had  he  not  wandered  about  the  pine 
barrens  all  night  in  sleepless  ecstasy  when 
Rachael  first  said  she  loved  him?  At  last  he 
went  down  to  the  beach,  pushed  off  the  skiff, 
and,  rod  in  hand,  waited  for  her  to  appear. 
He  would  notice  nothing;  lovers  were  always 
strange  and  shy  at  first. 

At  last  she  appeared  in  the  doorway.  He 
saw  she  had  on  her  white  Sunday  gown.  She 
did  not  see  him,  but  stood  motionless,  looking 
up,  then  throwing  out  both  arms  with  a  glad 
little  movement  ran  down  and  out  to  the  gar 
den.  An  hour  later,  when  Lopo  entered  the 
house,  she  was  arranging  great  masses  of  palm 
branches  about  the  house.  Every  available  cup 
and  vase  were  filled  with  roses.  Her  cheeks 
glowed  like  pomegranate  blossoms,  her  whole 
being  radiated  youth  and  hope.  During  the 
124 


PRINCE  CHARMING  OF  MIAMI 

day  nothing  was  said  on  either  side  of  what 
both  were  feeling  so  intensely.  After  their 
noon  dinner,  which  was  the  time  Mr.  Barclay 
usually  came,  Lopo  put  on  a  stiff  white  collar 
and  his  polished  boots,  and  settled  himself  in 
elegant  leisure.  He  had  aged  during  the  night, 
but  Ria  did  not  observe  it.  A  rose  blossomed 
in  the  girl's  hair  and  she  had  carelessly  pinned 
another  in  his  black  coat.  She  wandered  rest 
lessly  about  the  house,  starting  at  every  little 
sound.  Tea-time  arrived.  The  girl  had  spread 
the  table  herself,  studying  the  placing  of  each 
old  silver  spoon  and  flower.  The  sun  slowly 
sank  in  the  glowing  west  and  twilight  crept 
up  from  the  sea,  but  Dick  had  not  come.  They 
finally  sat  down  to  the  gay  little  table.  Both 
made  feeble  efforts  at  conversation,  and  once 
at  a  sudden  noise  outside,  the  girl  half  rose 
from  the  table  flushing,  then  paling. 

"  The  Fly  Catcher  seems  uneasy  to-night," 
the  old  man  carelessly  remarked,  a  dull  pain  at 
his  heart  as  he  saw  the  strained,  gray  look  settle 
on  the  girl's  face. 

125 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

The  stars  came  out  one  by  one  in  the  deep 
vault  above — the  beauty  and  peace  of  the  eve 
ning  before  were  again  there,  but  neither  knew 
it.  Both  were  listening  for  the  sound  of  a  horse 
which  did  not  come.  Ria  had  grown  strangely 
quiet.  Lopo  could  see  her  white  face  through 
the  dusk  as  she  sat  on  the  topmost  step  of  the 
piazza,  looking  intently  into  the  dark  shadows 
of  the  trees.  Ten,  eleven  o'clock.  Ria  had 
crept  into  her  father's  arms,  her  face  hidden 
in  his  neck.  The  little  rose  was  quite  faded, 
and  the  muslin  gown  was  starchless  and  rum 
pled.  They  sat  quietly,  saying  nothing,  his 
hand  stroking  the  tossed  curls  on  his  shoulder. 
It  was  difficult  to  tell  which  suffered  more. 
Slow  tears  rose  to  Lopo's  old  eyes  and  ran 
down  the  natural  gullies  of  his  furrowed 
cheeks,  to  the  slim  arm  which  wound  itself 
about  his  throat.  They  gradually  made  a  little 
damp  spot  on  the  thin  sleeve.  She  stirred  and 
passed  her  hand  over  his  face. 

"  Will  he  never  come  ?  "  she  sobbed  at  last. 

"  I'm  afraid  he  never  will,  daughter,"  was 
the  answer.    And  he  never  did. 
126 


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  A 

PAIR  OF  SHOES 

OF  ORMOND 


THE 

ADVENTURE    OF    A    PAIR 
OF  SHOES  AT  ORMOND 

Chapter  I 

MY  troubles  and  my  happiness  began  in 
Ormond,  March  17,  at  precisely  half 
after  three  in  the  afternoon. 
The  day  had  been  fearfully  warm,  and  tired 
of  the  chatter  and  buzz  of  the  hotel  piazzas,  I 
tucked  a  volume  of  Emerson  in  my  pocket  and 
fled  down  to  the  water  for  a  quiet  pipe.    Tak 
ing  a  row  boat  I  paddled  out,  but  the  sun 
proved  too  ardent  even  there.     I  was  about  to 
give  it  up,  when  I  spied  the  long  pier  which 
juts  out  over  the  water  two  or  three  hundred 
feet.    It  would  certainly  be  cool  under  there  I 
thought;  and  was  soon  in  its  shadow.     I  tied 
the  boat  to  the  barnacled  posts,  shipped  oars, 
and  stretched  myself  full  length  in  the  bottom 
of  the  boat.    The  light  filtered  dimly  through 
129 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

the  cracks  of  the  boards  above,  and  the  tide 
gently  swayed  the  boat  as  it  gurgled  and 
swirled  round  the  great  palmettos  which 
formed  the  piles. 

Emerson  held  my  interest  for  awhile,  but 
the  green,  wavering  light  blurred  the  page. 
Gradually  my  eyes  closed,  and  I  was  fast  asleep. 
In  the  midst  of  a  most  interesting  dream,  where 
I  was  reciting  poems  to  a  row  of  crabs  perched 
on  their  hind  legs  on  the  edge  of  the  boat,  I 
was  awakened  by  the  sound  of  voices.  The 
faint  tones  surged  around  me;  but  whether 
they  came  from  the  mermaids  below,  or  the 
above  mentioned  crabs,  I  could  not  for  a  mo 
ment  tell. 

Suddenly  I  discovered,  dangling  almost  over 
my  head,  a  small  pair  of  feet.  They  were  en 
cased  in  a  remarkably  well  made  pair  of  patent 
leather  shoes,  evidently  new,  as  the  number, 
"2  a  "  was  distinctly  marked  in  the  curve  of 
the  heel.  The  little  toes  were  pointed,  and 
from  them  rose  a  beautifully  curved  instep, 
clad  in  dark  blue  stockings,  embroidered  with 
130 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

tiny  white  polka  dots,  though  these  were  almost 
lost  in  a  foamy  mass  of  lace-edged  draperies. 

This  bewitching  pair  of  feet  dangled  not 
three  yards  from  my  astonished  visage,  but  in 
vain  I  stretched  and  twisted  for  a  glimpse  of 
their  owner.  She  was  sitting  on  the  edge  of 
the  pier  and  with  her  a  man,  whose  voice  only 
betrayed  his  presence. 

The  gurgling  of  the  water  dulled  their  con 
versation,  but  words  floated  down  to  me.  Sud 
denly  my  now  thoroughly  awakened  ears  heard 
the  deeper  voice  say: 

"  But  you  must  have  known  I  loved  you  all 
this  time,  dear  ?  "  And  the  girl's  voice  in  ar 
dent  protest ; — 

"  Why  of  course  I  knew  you  loved  me,  as  I 
did  you,  Jack ;  but  after  all  these  years  of  boy 
and  girl  affection,  I  never  dreamed  of  this.  I 
thought  men  never  fell  in  love  with  their  sis 
ters." 

Great  heavens,  here  was  a  state  of  things! 
What  should  I  do?  If  I  moved  they  would 
know  it — if  I  stayed,  to  what  depths  of  perfidy 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

might  I  not  be  the  innocent  victim?  Impulse 
prompted  me  to  row  out  from  under  them  at 
once,  but  I  hated  to  cause  the  owner  of  those 
pretty  patent  leathers  such  embarrassment. 
Besides  I  didn't  know  them,  and  probably  never 
would:  so  in  a  whirl  of  mortification  I  lay 
down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  again,  with  my 
fingers  in  my  ears. 

The  words  became  inaudible,  but  those  little 
dangling  feet  seemed  to  have  a  language  all 
their  own.  They  twitched  and  beat  the  air  in 
paroxysms  of  either  grief  or  wrath  as  "  Jack's" 
tones  grew  louder,  and  hung  limply  down,  as 
his  pleadings  waxed  pathetic.  I  felt  sure  she 
was  pretty  as  well  as  clever. 

For  quite  half  an  hour  I  laid  there  scarcely 
daring  to  breathe,  and  studied  every  line  of  the 
arched  instep,  slender  heel,  and  even  counted 
the  polka  dots.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  I 
refrained  from  tying  the  strings  which  her  ner 
vousness  had  undone.  I  found  myself  growing 
anxious.  Was  she  going  to  accept  him?  I 


132 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

began  to  hate  "Jack."  Bother  the  fellow — 
why  couldn't  he  take  "  no  "  and  quit? 

Who  could  she  be?  I  searched  my  memory 
for  all  the  shoes  of  the  women  I  had  met,  but 
no  such  patent  leathers  crossed  my  mental 
vision.  The  voice  only  seemed  a  bit  familiar, 
but  the  splash  of  the  water  made  that  too  indis 
tinct  to  place.  And  "  Jack,"  who  was  he? 

Gradually  my  curiosity  and  interest  grew  to 
a  resolve  to  know  the  owner  of  those  feet.  Or- 
mond  was  comparatively  a  small  place.  Surely 
I  could  trace  her  by  those  very  shoes  and  polka 
dots ;  or  else  listen  for  the  name  of  "  Jack  "  on 
piazzas,  and  haunt  hotel  registers  till  I  found 
him,  and  then  her. 

As  this  resolved  itself  in  my  cerebrum,  the 
feet  suddenly  disappeared,  first  one,  then  the 
other,  leaving  empty  air  and  a  lonely  feeling 
somewhere  within  me.  A  rustle  of  readjusted 
skirts  and  the  tramp  of  heavy  feet  on  the 
boards  above  me.  I  grasped  the  oars  and  flew 
out  from  underneath,  to  see  this  so  far  bodiless 


133 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

girl.  But  alas !  they  had  vanished.  A  pile  of 
lumber  obstructed  all  view,  and  they  quickly 
reached,  and  were  lost  in  the  crowd. 

It  was  nearly  twilight  when  I  reached  my 
hotel.  The  tiny,  colored  lights  which  served  as 
illumination  for  the  loggias  of  the  Hotel  Or- 
mond,  gleamed  faintly  among  the  palms  and 
creepers.  The  moon  above  gleamed  adown 
one  side  of  the  building,  leaving  the  depths  of 
the  loggias  in  profound  shadow. 

Entering  the  deserted  hall  I  instinctively 
looked  about  for  any  feminine  figures,  but  only 
one  was  visible — she  of  mammoth  proportions, 
and  evidently  not  a  wearer  of  "  number  2's." 
While  dressing,  and  all  through  dinner,  I  was 
haunted  by  those  polka  dots,  and  that  half 
heard  caressing  voice. 

My  seat  for  several  weeks  had  been  at  Mrs. 
Cabot's  table.  She  was  from  Boston,  and  was 
acting  as  chaperone  to  her  niece,  Miss  Ran 
dolph,  a  charming  New  York  girl.  Mrs.  Cabot 
was  as  true  a  type  of  the  former  place  as  her 
niece  was  of  her  native  city.  She  was  thin, 
134 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

pale  and  highly  finished.  Her  native  east  wind 
seemed  to  blow  all  frivolity  from  her  proxim 
ity,  leaving  an  atmosphere  of  rather  depressed 
refinement.  One  felt  it  always  vulgar  to  be 
anything  but  resigned  to  the  incongruities  of 
life  in  her  presence. 

Not  so  her  niece  however.  She  had  the  half 
flirtatious,  but  wholly  fetching  air  of  the  aver 
age  New  York  girl.  Her  tall  and  slender  fig 
ure  was  always  draped  and  tailored  artistically. 
She  affected  large  hats,  which  admirably  set 
off  her  golden-brown  hair,  and  rose-leaf  com 
plexion.  Her  open  and  childlike  glance  was  a 
constant  foil  for  her  fashionable  tricks  of 
speech  and  gesture.  She  was  both  worldly  and 
innocent,  but  with  a  fund  of  common  sense 
which  prevented  an  exaggeration  of  either. 

They  left  the  table  before  me,  and  while 
cooling  my  coffee,  I  considered  the  advisability 
of  calling  her  womanly  shrewdness  to  my  aid. 
But  on  the  other  hand,  I  dreaded  that  direct 
gaze  of  astonishment  when  she  should  learn  of 
my  idiocy.  That  I  should  find  the  owner  of 
135 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

those  patent  leathers  I  was  determined,  but 
how  to  do  it  ?  Suddenly  a  brilliant  idea  struck 
me. 

Shoes  were  always  blackened,  varnished  or 
oiled,  and  for  that  purpose  were  placed  out 
side  the  doors  at  night.  Eureka!  I  would 
search  the  midnight  corridors  above  till  I  found 
them ;  get  number  of  room,  inquire  at  office — 
nothing  easier.  "  All  is  fair  in  love  and  war." 
And  then  "  Jack  " !  with  skill  I  could  learn  the 
names  of  the  numberless  young  men  one  con 
stantly  met  in  this  informal  life.  If,  however, 
all  my  plans  should  fail,  I  would  take  Miss 
Randolph  into  my  confidence.  There  would  be 
no  risk  in  this,  as  I  had  been  with  her  con 
stantly,  and  had  never  seen  her  pretty  feet  in 
any  thing  but  tennis  shoes  or  button  boots. 

My  coffee  and  cogitations  finished,  I  saun 
tered  out  from  the  brilliant  dining-room  to  the 
rotunda.  Men  and  women  in  evening  dress 
sat  or  strolled  about.  Little  groups  were  con 
stantly  forming  and  breaking,  like  bits  of  color 
in  a  kaleidoscope.  Here  and  there  among  the 
136 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

columns,  pretty  women  sat,  around  whom  clus 
tered  an  ever  changing  number  of  black  coats. 

In  one  of  these  groups  was  Miss  Randolph, 
her  delicate  face  slightly  flushed  by  the  heat, 
and  the  effort  of  being  heard  in  the  noise  and 
confusion.  I  instinctively  went  toward  her, 
but  thought  "  business  before  pleasure."  So 
I  sauntered  here  and  there,  my  eyes  glued  to 
the  floor,  snatching  side-long  glances  at  the 
slippers,  shoes  and  boots  peeping  from  under 
draperies.  But  to  no  purpose. 

Then  I  went  to  the  hotel  register.  With  out 
ward  calm  but  inward  trepidation,  I  turned  the 
pages  and  eagerly  searched  for  anything  be 
ginning  with  J.  Several  Jacobs,  Johnstons  and 
Jones  were  there,  but  no  "  Jacks." 

"  Of  course,"  I  concluded,  "  he  wouldn't 
register  himself  so — how  stupid  of  me!"  I 
decided  to  give  up  my  quest  for  the  present, 
and  wait  till  the  feminine  portion  of  the  guests 
had  retired.  Then  would  I  carry  out  my  clever 
scheme  in  the  silent  halls  above.  I  decided  to 
wait  till  midnight.  Everyone  would  surely 
137 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

be  abed  by  that  time,  and,  besides,  I  might  be 
mistaken  for  a  midnight  marauder  if  seen 
prowling  far  from  my  own  quarters.  So  I 
smoked  and  dreamed  of  those  polka-dots  till 
everyone  had  retired,  save  some  sleepy  hall- 
boys,  and  a  sleepier  clerk  at  the  desk. 

I  got  off  the  lift  at  my  own  floor  to  avoid 
suspicion.  The  electric  lights  were  mostly  out. 
In  the  dimness  a  vista  of  door-mats  and  occa 
sional  boots  and  shoes  stretched  away  on 
either  hand.  The  big  affairs  I  steered  clear  of, 
but  darted  hither  and  thither  among  smaller 
shoes.  Such  shapes  and  sizes  of  leather  foot 
gear  may  I  never  meet  again !  Surely  the  aver 
age  American  foot  is  not  the  fairy-like  thing 
we  so  fondly  imagine.  Up  and  down  the  halls 
I  wandered,  getting  more  and  more  nervous, 
but  to  no  purpose.  Once,  as  I  stooped  to  ex 
amine  a  possible  pair,  the  door  suddenly  opened 
and  a  curl-papered  face  glared  at  me  and  then 
vanished  with  a  slam  of  the  door.  She  evi 
dently  thought  me  a  lunatic  or  a  thief.  Then 
again  I  darted  across  the  hall  and  dropped  to 
138 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

my  knees  on  a  door-mat,  as  a  bell-boy  flew 
round  the  corner,  a  pitcher  of  icewater  borne 
on  high. 

"  Is  enything  happened  to  yo'  sah  ? "  he 
asked,  with  an  evident  suspicion  of  intoxica 
tion. 

"  No,"  I  exclaimed,  energetically,  "  only 
stumbled  a  little."  But  I  know  the  little  darkie 
thought  he  knew  better. 

Having  explored  every  door  to  the  very  at 
tic,  I  concluded  I  had  been  a  fool  long  enough 
for  that  night,  and  would  wait  till  morning  for 
a  continuation  of  that  character. 


139 


Chapter   II 


THE  next  morning  found  me  still  on 
patent  leathers  intent,  though  while 
dressing  I  could  not  help  laughing  at 
the  spectacle  I  must  have  presented  the  night 
before.  However,  I  was  still  resolved  to  do  the 
same  thing  at  every  respectable  hotel  in  the 
place  till  I  had  exhausted  the  supply. 

All  that  day  my  gaze  refused  to  wander 
heavenward.  Out  sailing  that  morning  and  at 
tennis  that  afternoon,  I  searched  the  "  little 
mice  peeping  in  and  out  "  of  my  feminine  com 
panions  in  vain.  My  subtle  scheme  to  learn  the 
masculine  Christian  names  did  me  credit. 

That  night  I  circumnavigated  the  halls  of 
two  hotels  in  vain,  and  so  it  went  on  for  sev 
eral  days.  At  last  one  day  while  watching  the 
bathers,  I  heard  a  girl's  voice  say  (not  the 
voice)  behind  me: 

"  I  wish  Jack  Townsend  would  go  in ;  he  is 
a  famous  swimmer."  I  started.  I  gasped  for 
breath !  Turning  round,  I  eyed  the  girl  in  such 
140 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

a  way  that  she  looked  frightened.  But  I  did 
not  know  her,  and  felt  certain  I  had  never  seen 
her  with  any  one  I  did  know.  "  Jack — Jack 
Townsend,"  he  was  the  man.  I  felt  it;  I  knew 
it.  Yet  how  to  find  him.  He  might  be  one  of 
the  group  then  entering;  but  still  he  was  as  far 
from  me  as  the  North  Pole. 

All  that  day  I  asked  every  one  I  met  if  they 
knew  Jack  Townsend,  but  always  to  be  disap 
pointed.  I  again  searched  hotel  registers,  and 
at  last  found  his  autograph  in  a  firm  finished 
hand,  and  "  New  York  "  after  the  name.  I 
gave  the  clerk  my  most  effective  smile. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  what  Mr.  Townsend  is 
like?  "  I  asked.  "  I  am  anxious  to  know  if  he 
is  the  same  person  I  met  some  time  since." 

"  No,"  he  replied,  with  lofty  indifference,  and 
a  supercilious  stare  at  my  disappointed  counte 
nance  :  "  I  can't  remember  all  the  transient 
guests  of  this  house." 

With  a  sigh  I  turned  away.  Almost  had  I 
reached  him,  but  a  miss  was  as  bad  as  a  mile. 

That  afternoon,  while  riding  along  the  won- 
141 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

derful  road  bordered  by  giant  palmettos 
which  skirts  the  Halifax  river,  I  passed  a  merry 
party  also  a  chevaL  As  they  cantered  by  me, 
a  girl's  voice  cried :  "  This  way,  Mr.  Morris, 
you  know  we  agreed  to  meet  Jack  Townsend 
out  here." 

My  heart  gave  a  bound;  and  whipping  up 
my  horse,  I  trotted  after  to  join  the  party, 
several  of  whom  I  knew.  "  At  last,"  I  mur 
mured,  "  the  enemy  is  mine!  " 

Half  a  mile  on  I  joined  them,  just  as  a  tall, 
thin  man  on  a  short,  fat  horse  met  them.  Could 
this  gray-haired,  solemn  visaged  person  be  the 
"  Jack  "  whose  manly  young  voice  had  said  "  I 
love  you  "  with  such  feeling?  They  were  all 
chattering  around  me,  and  I  roused  myself 
when  one  of  the  women  introduced  him  to  me 
as  "  Mr.  Townsend."  "  He  is  my  Uncle  Jack," 
she  added. 

"It  is  warm  riding,  eh?"  he  asked,  in  a 
voice  which  made  me  think  of  "  Hark  from  the 
tombs  a  doleful  sound."  I  turned  away  in  dis- 


142 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

gusted  despair,  and  excusing  myself,  rode 
homeward.  I  was  as  far  as  ever  from  those 
adorable  patent  leathers. 

A  few  days  after,  Miss  Randolph,  having 
gone  off  with  another  man  for  the  morning, 
had  left  me  in  a  decidedly  sulky  frame  of 
mind.  There  was  no  use  in  my  devoting  my 
self  to  another  girl,  as  she  was  not  there  to  see; 
so  I  started  off  for  a  solitary  stroll.  Having 
often  heard  of  the  picturesque  quaintness  of 
"  Africa,"  the  so-called  negro  quarter,  I  turned 
my  steps  toward  that  dark  portion  of  the  globe. 
I  passed  the  hotel  gardens  with  their  stretches 
of  lawn  and  shrubbery,  on  through  a  narrow 
street,  to  find  myself  indeed  in  a  strange  land. 
Everything  was  black  which  should  have  been 
white,  from  the  faces  around  me  to  the  picka 
ninnies'  pinafores,  which  were  the  blackest  of 
all.  Tiny  cabins  edged  the  road,  their  holes 
and  gaps  smothered  in  jasmine  vines  and  creep 
ers.  Shiny  black  children  rolled  in  the  dirt 
about  the  steps,  while  their  elders  lolled  over 


143 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

the  broken-down  fences  smoking  their  pipes, 
and  as  free  from  all  signs  of  care  as  any  of  our 
"  coupon-cutters  "  of  Wall  Street. 

My  esthetic  enjoyment  was  brought  to  a  sud 
den  end  by  a  sight  which  rilled  my  very  soul 
with  rapture.  My  long-sought  polka-dots  were 
fluttering  gaily  in  the  breeze  not  ten  feet  away ! 
There  on  a  line  they  dangled,  attenuated  and 
damp,  but  still  my  polka-dots.  In  a  trice  I 
was  knocking  on  the  mossy  lintel  of  the  door. 
The  fattest  human  creature  mine  eyes  had 
beheld  since  my  boyhood  day  at  Barnum's 
rolled  toward  me,  shaking  the  unsubstantial 
building  to  its  foundations.  Her  round,  good- 
natured  face  beamed  a  shrewd  kindliness  on  me 
as  I  said : 

"  Aunty,  I  notice  a  pair  of  stockings — er, 
the  blue  ones.  They  are  just  like  those  belong 
ing  to — er — my — er  " — 

"  Yo'  lady,  sah?"  she  benevolently  inter 
rupted.  "  Why  bress  yo'  soul,  de  Lawd  hab 
sent  yo'  sho'  'nuff.  Dem  stockings  hab  gib  me 
mo'  trouble  sah!  Dey  done  come  here  in  de 
144 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

wash,  and  when  I  sent  'em  back,  they  don't 
b'long  to  nobody.  I  done  gone  most  clean 
crazy  wid  'em,  fur  I  nebber  gits  my  close 
mixed,  like  dem  washer-ladies  in  de  town,  no 
how.  Yo'  kin  ask  if  Aunt  Hetty  is  sich  a  po* 
chile  es  dat." 

"Well,  Aunt  Hetty,"  I  replied,  with  some 
embarrassment,  "  I  can't  be  quite  sure  that  they 
do  belong  to  my — er — lady,  though  she  has 
some  like  them  which  I  should  like  to  find." 

Meanwhile  a  hundred  thoughts  whirled 
through  my  brain.  I  could  not  take  them, 
surely  not.  But  why  not  take  one  of  these  mis 
sing  links?  Aunt  Hetty  stood  there  stroking 
them  with  her  parboiled  fingers,  and  I  took 
one  reverently  in  my  hand. 

"  After  all,"  I  said  to  her,  "  I  don't  believe 
they  are  quite  like  my  lady's.  I  tell  you  what 
we'll  do.  I'll  take  one  and  inquire,  and  you 
keep  the  other  in  case  the  owner  turns  up.  If 
she  should,  mind  now,  here  is  my  address. 
Send  me  her  name  and  address,  and  she  shall 
receive  it  at  once, — see?  " 
145 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

"  Bress  yo'  soul,  honey,  dat'll  be  all  right," 
was  her  comforting  reply.  "  My  ole  man  is  a 
great  han'  fur  writen,  an'  I'll  hab  him  do  it. 
Fs  powerful  weak  when  it  comes  to  plannin' 
but  yo'  am  a  sho'  'nuff  manager,  he-he-he !  " 

So  I  left  the  smiling  vision  in  the  frame  of 
the  doorway  and  turned  homeward.  I  was  in  a 
mingled  state  of  triumph  and  dismay.  One  of 
the  polka-dots  was  in  my  breast  pocket,  but  I 
refrained  from  looking  at  or  touching  it.  But 
it  was  there,  its  silken  texture  heaving  with  my 
every  breath.  Surely  Stanley  had  made  no 
happier  discoveries  in  darkest  Africa  than 
had  I. 


146 


Chapter  III 


THAT  evening  the  annual  yachting  fes 
tivities  were  given,  comprising  fire 
works,  an  illuminated  yacht  race,  and 
ball  in  the  hotel.  Miss  Randolph  was  to  leave 
the  following  day  for  Atlanta,  her  aunt  joining 
her  later  in  Washington.  We  had  been  asked 
with  several  others  on  the  yacht  which  was  to 
lead  the  procession.  Every  vessel  large  and 
small  was  illuminated  from  bow  to  stern.  Jap 
anese  lanterns  outlined  each  mast  and  sail,  and 
the  Club  house  was  also  a  mass  of  twinkling 
brightness.  As  the  first  flight  of  rockets  burst 
against  the  sky,  the  yachts  formed  in  proces 
sion  and  moved  up  the  river,  a  fleet  of  starry 
splendor. 

Miss  Randolph  and  I  had  strolled  to  the  stern 
of  our  yacht,  and  stood  listening  to  the  music 
— admiring  the  novel  sight.  She  was  in  her 
ball-gown,  and  looked  a  fitting  part  of  the 
dreamy  beauty.  Suddenly  she  remembered  her 
evening's  mail  which  I  had  kept  in  my  pocket 
147 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

for  her.  As  she  read  her  letters,  I  thought  of 
my  resolve  to  tell  her  the  history  of  those  fate 
ful  shoes  if  my  own  efforts  failed.  I  felt  that 
her  woman's  wit  might  solve  the  problem. 

She  looked  up  from  the  last  sheet  with  a  se 
rious  and  preoccupied  face.  If  she  had  been  a 
man  I  should  have  thought  "  bills  " ;  but  being 
an  attractive  girl  I  decided, — a  man.  But  her 
face  looking  pale  under  the  moon's  rays,  grad 
ually  regained  its  old  archness,  and  I  felt  my 
way  to  the  matter  in  hand. 

"  Miss  Randolph,"  I  said,  "  does  a  woman 
feel  flattered  at  a  man's  confidence?  " 

"In  herself?"  she  asked. 

"  No,  a  confidence  given  her." 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  that  depends  on  the  na 
ture  of  the  confidence.  If  about  himself,  yes." 

This  was  encouraging,  but  I  thought  she 
eyed  me  somewhat  mockingly. 

"  But  I  want  to  tell  you  something  very 
much,"  I  said.  "  It  is  about  myself  in  a  way. 
I  am  in  a  dilemma,  and  feel  sure  you  can  help 
me." 

148 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

She  looked  politely  interested,  and  I  plunged 
into  my  story.  At  the  commencement  she  ex 
pressed  no  opinion  of  my  eavesdropping;  but 
as  I  described  the  tender  avowal  I  had  so  un 
wittingly  heard,  and  the  two  little  feet  dang 
ling  so  near  me,  she  said : 

"  Poor  girl,  I  hope  she'll  never  know.  But 
he  must  have  been  a  stupid  '  Jack '  to  propose 
in  broad  daylight,  right  after  lunch.  He  might 
have  known  he  would  get  '  no.'  * 

I  dwelt  lightly  on  my  search  for  the  shoes, 
trying  to  place  my  midnight  prowls  in  as  digni 
fied  a  light  as  possible.  But  at  this  part  of  the 
story  she  laughed  immoderately. 

"  If  you  ever  do  meet  her,"  she  said,  "  don't 
tell  her  that ;  it  robs  the  situation  of  all  its  ro 
mance."  Then  she  sobered.  "  Poor  Jack;  he 
is  probably  suffering  now  for  love  of  his  un 
loving  sweetheart."  Her  hand  smoothed  the 
letter  she  held:  she  was  probably  pitying  the 
writer  as  another  "  Jack." 

The  polka-dots  I  had  kept  in  the  background. 
I  instinctively  felt  she  would  not  approve  the 
149 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

presence  of  that  stolen  property  at  that  mo 
ment  reposing  in  my  pocket.  She  listened  to 
all  I  had  to  say  with  interest,  but  not  with  the 
degree  of  sympathy  I  had  hoped  for.  When  I 
finished  she  suddenly  rose.  All  laughter  left 
her  face. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  it  was  kind  of  you  to  tell 
me  this.  I  fear  I  can  do  nothing  to  help  you, 
as  I  leave  to-morrow.  I  hope  you  may  find  the 
girl  after  I  am  gone,  and  that  she  will  prove 
worthy  of  your  labor.  She  is  certainly  fortu 
nate  to  have  you  so  literally  at  her  feet." 

She  gathered  up  her  shawl  and  moved  to 
ward  another  group.  I  somehow  felt  dis 
missed,  disapproved  of,  and,  yes,  a  little  snub 
bed.  I  bowed  and  left  her,  and  strolled  away 
alone.  And  to-morrow  she  was  to  leave !  How 
I  wished  I  had  not  told  her,  for  she  evidently 
thought  me  idiotic.  The  rest  of  the  evening  I 
cursed  those  patent  leathers. 

At  breakfast  the  next  morning,  Miss  Ran 
dolph  chattered  gaily,  and  treated  me  with  the 
same  friendliness  as  of  yore.  But  there  was, 
150 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

after  all,  a  difference.  I  felt  it  in  her  cordial 
"  good-by "  and  the  enigmatical  glance  she 
threw  me  from  the  car  window  as  the  train 
moved  away.  At  all  events  she  was  not  of 
fended. 

The  hotel  seemed  strangely  silent  on  my  re 
turn.  I  knocked  at  Mrs.  Cabot's  door,  hoping 
for  a  little  pity  or  petting. 

"  Come  in,"  she  said ;  and  I  entered.  She 
was  sitting  by  the  window,  a  volume  of  Ibsen 
on  her  knee,  and  I  drew  my  chair  near  hers. 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Cabot,  you  miss  Miss  Ran 
dolph  as  we  all  do,"  I  began. 

"  More,"  she  answered.  "  My  niece  is 
charming  company  for  me,  as  I  do  not  enjoy 
hotel  life.  One  cannot  get  into  sympathy  with 
so  many  people." 

While  she  was  speaking  her  gaze  wandered 
at  intervals  beyond  me  in  a  conscious  way,  and 
she  spoke  absently.  I  turned,  my  eyes  follow 
ing  her  line  of  vision.  Suppressing  an  excla 
mation  of  surprise,  I  leaped  from  my  chair  at 
the  extraordinary  sight  which  met  my  eyes. 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

There  in  the  centre  of  a  huge  sheet  of  paper 
nailed  to  the  wall,  and  bordered  two  inches 
deep  with  black,  hung  those  fateful  patent 
leathers !  I  recognized  them  at  a  glance  as  they 
hung  from  the  nail,  bunches  of  immortelles 
falling  out  of  them.  Underneath,  in  big,  black 
letters,  I  read  the  legend, — 

"  To  the  memory  of  the  dear  departed." 

I  turned  to  Mrs.  Cabot  with  some  inarticu 
late  words. 

"  Yes,  they  are  my  niece's  shoes,"  she 
drawled,  in  her  cool,  even  voice.  "  I  can't  im 
agine  why  she  left  them  there,  but  she  begged 
me  to  leave  them  for  a  day  or  two.  Yesterday 
afternoon  her  old  Aunt  Hetty,  as  she  calls  her, 
was  here,  and  they  apparently  had  some  joke 
together.  It  is  a  little  strange,  but  New  York 
girls  are  always  somewhat  inexplicable  to  me." 

The  situation  was  now  clearly  before  me  in 
all  its  awfulness.  Alas !  she  knew  everything, 
even  the  polka-dots.  Suffice  to  say  I  too  left 
the  next  day  for  Atlanta,  and — well,  I  can  now 
afford  to  patronize  the  memory  of  "  Jack." 
152 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

An  Episode  of  Tampa 

Chapter  I 

IT  was  a  long  perspective  on  which  her  faded 
eyes  looked  down.    To  her  it  seemed  as 
though  her  real  self  had  died  a  long  time 
ago,  in  the  past  which  ended  when  she  said 
"  good-by  "  to  her  brief  girlhood  and  to  her 
well-ordered,  thrifty  life  in  the  New  England 
town  where  she  was  born. 

She  remembered  the  neat,  white  house  with 
its  wide  piazzas  and  white,  fluted  columns,  on 
which  the  elms  threw  flickering  shadows  in 
Summer,  and  whose  eaves  were  shrouded  with 
snow  in  Winter ;  the  quiet  of  the  wide,  grass- 
grown  streets:  the  green-shuttered  Meeting 
house  opposite,  flanked  by  the  post-office,  and 
the  familiar  farmers  grouped  upon  the  well- 
worn  granite  steps. 

The  simple  life  had  filled  every  nook  in  her 
nature:  of  the  outside  world  she  knew  noth- 
155 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

ing,  and  cared  nothing  for.  Those  sheltering 
New  England  hills  had  for  twenty-five  years 
shut  out  all  care  and  anxiety.  Her  mother,  a 
neutral  tinted  woman,  had  always  been  an  in 
valid,  whose  bodily  infirmities  exacted  only 
knitted  shawls  and  inactivity  of  mind  and  body. 

As  Priscilla  grew  into  girlhood,  the  adminis 
tration  of  the  household  fell  naturally  on  her 
young  shoulders.  It  was  to  her  that  her  father 
looked  for  advice  as  to  the  management  of  the 
farm,  and  she  was  the  umpire  to  whom  he  ap 
pealed,  when  old  Henny,  their  maid-of-all- 
work,  would  give  him  what  she  called  a  "  root- 
in',"  for  meddling  with  things  which  she  con 
sidered  none  of  his  business. 

Priscilla  had  been  well  educated,  first  at  the 
village  school,  and  finished  off  by  her  father, 
who  had  graduated  from  Harvard  as  his  grand 
fathers  had  done  before  him.  It  was  he  who 
kept  before  her  child-eyes  the  past  glories  of 
the  house  of  Alden, — their  important  function 
in  the  first  establishment  of  civilization  in  this 
country;  and  it  was  his  ambition  to  live  up 
156 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

to  the  standard  of  his  ancestry,  as  far  as  his 
limited  field  of  action  allowed. 

Gideon  Alden  had  been  born  with  the  inef 
faceable  impression  that  he  was  not  as  other 
men  are.  He  felt  that  he  was  a  genius,  though 
in  what  direction  his  gifts  tended,  neither  he 
nor  his  friends  had  been  able  to  decide.  He 
had  married  at  twenty,  and  was  still  a  compara 
tively  young  and  prepossessing  man.  His  tall, 
slender  figure  was  always  fastidiously  dressed ; 
he  wore  his  hair  rather  long,  and  affected  loose, 
flying  cravats.  Among  his  towns-people  he 
was  regarded  as  very  decorative  and  accom 
plished,  though  not  of  much  practical  benefit. 
They  looked  upon  him  much  as  they  did  on  the 
ornamental  cornice  of  the  town-hall;  as  a 
"  trimmin',''  but  of  no  real  use  to  the  commu 
nity.  At  the  public  meetings  he  was  always  a 
conspicuous  figure,  and  his  resonant  voice  and 
rounded  periods  always  commanded  attention 
as  an  exponent  of  Harvard  eloquence. 

At  intervals  he  would  appear  in  his  most  be- 
ruffled  shirt  and  highest  stock,  which  were  the 
157 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

visible  signs  of  a  commercial  mood;  and  on 
these  occasions  he  would  go  to  Boston  for  days 
at  a  time,  to  return  with  an  elated  bearing,  san 
guine  and  happy  over  some  wonderful  scheme, 
by  which  his  family  would  again  take  the  posi 
tion  to  which  he  considered  them  entitled.  For 
tune  was,  to  him,  always  hovering  benignly  in 
the  near  future,  and  this  assurance  gave  him  a 
gentle  acquiescence  to  his  rather  cramped  finan 
cial  status. 

As  a  child,  Priscilla  had  regarded  her  father 
as  the  acme  of  all  that  was  great  and  noble. 
When  in  the  long  winter  evenings  they  sat 
around  the  wood-fire,  she  would  listen  with 
wide  admiring  eyes,  as  he  described  the  mys 
terious  world  beyond  the  hills,  and  their  future 
career  there  when  the  money  should  begin  to 
come  in.  •  With  graphic  emphasis  he  would  ex 
patiate  on  the  wealth  his  shrewd  investments 
were  sure  to  bring. 

The  child,  in  her  dim,  fire-lit  corner,  would 
watch  the  shadows  flicker  on  the  portraits  of 
her  Puritan  ancestors  upon  the  wall,  until  they 
158 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

seemed  to  wink  and  nod  an  assurance  of  the 
bright  life  which  awaited  her.  What  a  beau 
tiful  world  it  would  be ;  what  untold  happiness 
would  she  find  in  this  golden  future  which  the 
genii  were  preparing  for  her,  beyond  those 
snow-clad  hills. 

Time  passed  on,  and  the  child  became  a 
woman  with  reasoning  powers,  which  gradu 
ally  awakened  her  from  fantastic  dreams. 
From  regarding  her  father  as  an  oracle  of  de 
lightful  truths,  she  began  to  realize  his  shallow- 
ness  and  visionary  proclivities.  The  gradual 
realization  of  his  vanity  and  selfishness  at  first 
hurt  her  keenly,  and  it  was  a  slow  and  painful 
task  to  reconstruct  her  impression  of  his  char 
acter, — to  exchange  her  confiding  faith  in  him 
for  a  sort  of  protecting  pity  for  the  smallness 
of  his  nature.  Her  newly  awakened  percep 
tion  quickly  gauged  the  value  of  that  fairy 
land  which  his  sanguine  hopes  had  depicted, 
and  by  degrees  her  doubts  resolved  into  convic 
tion,  that  he  was  deceiving  himself  as  well  as 
them.  But  at  last  he  grew  querulous  when 
159 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

Henny  reminded  him  of  unpaid  bills,  and  had 
unusual  moods  of  silence. 

One  day  he  returned  from  Boston  and,  run 
ning  through  the  house  and  up  to  his  wife's 
room,  fell  on  his  knees  beside  her.  "  It  is  lost 
— all  lost,"  he  cried,  burying  his  white  face  in 
her  lap. 

Not  long  after,  the  house  was  sold.  Her 
mother's  health  gave  way  under  the  shock,  and 
this,  with  the  necessity  of  an  economy  which 
they  did  not  care  to  exhibit  before  their  neigh 
bors,  made  it  easy  for  them  to  accept  the  doc 
tor's  advice  to  seek  a  Southern  climate.  The 
letting  down  seemed  more  easy  in  exchanging 
the  bleak  farm  for  Florida,  and  the  early  No 
vember  snows  found  them  journeying  South 
ward.  To  Priscilla  the  journey  was  crowded 
with  anxious  thought,  for  every  turn  of  the 
iron  wheels  carried  her  on  to  a  wide  sea  of  new 
experiences. 

In  those  days  the  locomotive  did  not  deign 
to  visit  so  obscure  and  remote  a  place  as 
Tampa.  The  only  approach  to  it  was  by  a  rude 
160 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

stage-coach,  which  three  times  a  week  dragged 
its  slow  length  for  fifteen  or  twenty  miles, 
bringing  the  mail  and  an  occasional  stranger. 
The  girl  from  New  England  gazed  about  her 
with  intelligent  curiosity,  as  they  drove  into 
the  old  town,  beneath  the  row  of  water-oaks, 
which  were  then  young  like  herself,  but  have 
now  grown  into  veritable  gray-beards,  whis 
pering  sadly  among  themselves  of  the  changes 
which  have  sprung  up  about  them. 

In  the  starlight,  strange,  white- walled  houses 
rose  on  every  side,  their  over-hanging  balconies 
seeming  almost  to  meet.  The  tinkle  of  a  guitar 
from  a  shadowy  door-way,  the  quaint  Plaza 
with  its  moss-draped  trees  and  ancient  Cathe 
dral,  all  seemed  to  the  girl  like  a  bit  of  Spain, 
which  had  floated  across  the  Atlantic  to  be 
lodged  among  the  palmettos. 

The  next  day  found  Priscilla,  with  the  buoy 
ancy  of  youth,  beginning  to  construct  a  new 
world  for  themselves.  Her  father  seemed  to 
think  he  had  done  his  share  of  unappreciated 
toil  and  left  everything  in  her  hands.  They 
161 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

secured  a  modest  house,  vine-clad  and  roomy, 
and  here  Priscilla  arranged  the  household 
gods  which  they  had  brought  with  them,  as 
much  like  the  old  home  as  possible.  The  Pu 
ritan  forefathers  looked  down  on  them  in  be- 
wigged  wonder  from  the  coquina  walls,  and  the 
tall  clock  ticked  from  the  corner  as  of  yore.  In 
the  corner  of  the  parlor  were  the  collection  of 
daguerreotypes;  the  silver  candle  sticks  on  the 
mantel  were  flanked  by  a  print  of  George 
Washington  and  a  sampler  depicting  a  weep 
ing  willow  and  a  family  of  thirteen  children 
kneeling  round  a  tomb.  But  in  spite  of  Pris- 
cilla's  efforts,  it  all  seemed  sadly  strange.  Her 
mother  seemed  to  feel  it  most  keenly.  At  first, 
as  she  lay  on  the  rose-scented  balcony,  inhaling 
the  soft  air,  a  little  color  crept  into  her  cheeks, 
but,  as  the  months  went  by,  Priscilla  knew  she 
was  fading. 

Her  father  adopted  the  new  order  of  things 
more  easily.    He  evolved  schemes  for  regener 
ating  the  South,  and  arranged  his  neckties  as 
artistically  as  of  yore.     His  days  were  spent 
162 


I'KISCIT.I.A  S    GAKDK.N 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

chiefly  sitting  in  the  sun  on  the  Plaza,  or  talk 
ing  to  the  natives,  who  were  only  too  glad  to 
find  a  new  idler  to  amuse  them. 

Priscilla  felt  that  she  was  a  square  peg  in  a 
round  hole.  Her  thrift  and  mental  briskness 
were  not  understood  by  her  neighbors,  and  they 
resented  these  as  a  reproach  to  themselves. 
The  odd  ways  of  "  dem  Northerners  "  were  re 
ported  by  the  astonished  Chloe,  whom  Pris 
cilla  stood  over  until  every  nook  and  cranny 
was  made  to  yield  up  its  stores  of  hoarded  spi 
ders  and  dust.  Every  piece  of  furniture  was 
put  through  a  course  of  scrubbing  and  polish 
ing,  at  which  Chloe  would  continually  mutter 
to  herself,  "  Well,  I  nebber." 

Then  the  weed-choked  garden  was  marked 
off  in  irreproachable  paths  and  beds,  and  seeds 
of  hollyhocks,  ragged-robins  and  pansies  from 
the  old  home  were  planted.  The  broken-down 
fence  had  new  life  and  new  pickets  put  into  it 
and  was  painted  a  vivid  white. 

When  order  reigned  everywhere  within  the 
pale  of  home,  Priscilla  turned  her  cool,  gray 
163 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

eyes  upon  her  moral  and  social  surroundings. 
Her  father's  acquaintances  of  the  Plaza  had 
become  interested  and  sent  their  wives  to  call. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vinci  Lopez,  her  next  door  neigh 
bors,  declaimed  their  descent  from  a  Spanish 
grandee,  during  the  first  half  hour  of  acquaint 
ance,  and  proved  their  cordiality  by  sending 
every  day  one  of  their  seven  dark-eyed  children 
to  borrow  a  little  tea  or  sugar  and  other  house 
hold  commodities, — all,  however,  in  quantities 
too  small  to  be  worth  returning.  They  were 
all  kind  and  anxious  to  make  the  new-comers 
as  much  at  their  ease  as  they  were  themselves. 
Priscilla  soon  found  that  there  was  to  be  no 
outlet  for  her  New  England  proclivities.  There 
were  no  husking-bees,  no  warm  stockings  or 
mittens  to  knit  for  the  farm-hands;  and  as  to 
the  poor,  they  seemed  to  be  the  most  happy  and 
contented  of  them  all.  She  looked  up  the  Prot 
estant  church  of  the  place,  which  she  found  to 
be  Episcopal;  a  newly  organized  and  strug 
gling  congregation,  under  the  rectorship  of 
Doctor  Rankin,  a  refined,  well-educated,  but 
164 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

dreamy  old  man,  hardly  equal  to  the  exigencies 
of  his  position.  Priscilla  could  not  feel  at  home 
there.  The  form  and  ritualism  seemed  strange 
to  her  orthodox  mind  and  smacked  of  "  po 
pery."  She  got  quite  flustered  Sunday  morn 
ings,  hunting  for  the  places  in  her  new  prayer- 
book,  and  the  new-fangled  hymns  she  found  it 
difficult  to  follow.  She  then  interested  herself 
in  the  seven  uncared-for  children  next  door; 
at  first  winning  their  confidence  by  cookies, 
then  trying  to  instil  under  their  tangled  curls 
some  rudiments  of  learning  and  personal  neat 
ness,  but  in  vain.  As  long  as  cookies  held  out 
they  were  docile  enough,  but  with  their  dis 
appearance  they  returned  to  the  sun  outside 
and  laughed  and  rolled  in  the  sand,  regardless 
of  all  laws  save  those  of  sleep  and  hunger. 

The  very  poor  also  did  not  seem  to  need  her. 
Some  oysters  from  the  harbor  to  eat,  the  sun 
to  warm  them  and  a  calico  gown  made  their 
sum  of  happiness,  and  any  overtures  from  the 
"  Yankee  woman  "  were  resented  as  interfer 
ence.  Occasionally  a  party  of  Northerners 
165 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

would  linger  in  the  quaint,  old  city  for  a  while, 
but  with  the  first  hot  days  of  early  Spring  they 
would  disappear.  These  people  she  rarely  met, 
so  her  life  narrowed  down  to  but  little  beyond 
her  own  garden. 

Much  of  her  time  was  given  to  her  mother, 
who  soon  found  it  impossible  to  make  her  daily 
journey  to  the  jasmine-covered  balcony.  A 
year,  two  years  passed,  in  which  Priscilla  knew 
little  beyond  the  needs  of  the  mother  who  had 
been  her  dearest  treasure.  At  last  one  day  she 
fell  asleep.  They  buried  her  in  the  little  grave 
yard,  in  the  melancholy  shadow  of  the  Florida 
moss  which  swathed  the  towering  palms,  and 
in  her  grave  were  left  Priscilla's  last  hopes. 
Her  youth  was  over.  She  grew  silent  and  was 
much  alone.  Threads  of  gray  were  seen  among 
the  brown  hair,  which  she  wore  plainly  off  her 
forehead.  Lines  appeared  in  her  cheeks,  from 
which  the  roses  of  youth  had  fled.  She  knew 
it,  and  would  smile  grimly  to  herself  in  her 
little  mirror  under  the  eaves.  Who  was  to 
care?  Her  father  seemed  to  have  the  facility 
166 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

of  throwing  unpleasant  truth  away,  as  a  boy 
would  toss  away  a  pebble.  He  slept,  ate  and 
smiled  as  of  yore.  One  of  his  Spanish  friends 
had  taught  him  the  guitar,  and  he  would  sit 
in  the  twilight  singing  their  weird  love-songs, 
his  fine  profile  turned  to  Priscilla's  tired  eyes. 
He  had  acquired  the  habit  of  sitting  by  the 
hour  on  the  end  of  the  wharf,  watching  the  sail 
boats  and  gulls  floating  about  the  harbor. 
Priscilla  of  late  had  seen  but  little  of  him.  He 
sometimes  stayed  away  all  day,  to  return  at 
night  gay  and  debonair  and  chide  her  for  her 
quiet  life. 

"  Why  don't  you  stir  up  a  bit  ?  "  he  would 
ask,  "  and  make  friends  as  I  do  ?  There  are  a 
number  of  people  quite  worth  talking  to." 

Time  glided  monotonously  by.  She  only 
marked  the  seasons  by  the  falling  of  the  oak 
leaves  from  the  great  trees  on  the  Plaza  and 
the  increased  stagnation  of  the  town  in  the 
Summer  months. 


167 


Chapter  II 


ONE  soft  evening  in  March,  Priscilla  was 
sitting  in  the  shadows  of  the  vine  on 
the  lower  piazza.  From  across  the 
way  the  tinkle  of  a  guitar  and  occasional 
laughter  floated  to  her  inattentive  ears.  She 
was  wondering  if  her  life  was  always  to  follow 
its  present  monotonous  channel.  The  past  few 
years  had  been  very  desolate.  She  longed  for 
the  scents  and  sounds  of  her  old  home.  In  a 
few  weeks  the  apple-boughs  would  be  laden 
with  their  pink  blossoms; — how  sweet  were 
those  Northern  Springs!  But  those  apple- 
blossoms  were  a  thousand  miles  away  and  there 
was  no  money  to  carry  her  back  to  them.  She 
saw  her  life  as  it  might  have  been. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  thought,  "  I  might  have  had 
a  lover  like  other  women.  Some  one  to  love 
and  care  for  me;  a  home  of  my  own,  and  chil 
dren.  I  wonder  whether  it  is  myself  or  circum 
stances  which  is  at  fault?  All  women,  I 
thought,  had  some  one  whose  whole  affections 
168 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

were  theirs.    But  I  have  never  had  any  one." 

She  was  luxuriating  in  a  vague  pity  for  her 
self,  when  she  brought  herself  up  with  a  turn. 

"  Priscilla  Alden,"  she  said  half  audibly, 
"  are  you  losing  your  head  ?  Haven't  you 
more  sense  than  to  sit  here  mooning,  and  won 
dering  what  the  use  of  living  is,  when  you 
know  you've  a  father  who  doesn't  know  enough 
to  come  in  when  it  rains?  How  would  he  get 
along  without  you,  I  wonder;  who  is  there  to 
care  for  him  ?  "  The  thought  comforted  her. 

As  the  words  died  on  her  lips,  she  heard  a 
sound  at  the  gate  and,  looking  up,  saw  two  per 
sons  coming  up  the  path.  One  she  recognized 
as  her  father,  and  by  his  side  was  a  girlish  fig 
ure  apparently  hanging  back  as  though  loth  to 
follow.  She  heard  her  father's  voice  in  gentle 
protest,  as  he  urged  her  forward.  They  reached 
the  steps.  Priscilla,  with  a  cold  thrill  of  pre 
monition,  stepped  out  of  the  shadow  and  stood, 
a  tall,  severe  figure,  in  the  full  light  of  the 
moon. 

"  Who  is  this,  father?  "  she  asked. 
169 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

"  Now  don't  excite  yourself,  Priscilla, — 
will  welcome  my  wife  cordially."  Then,  turn 
ing  to  the  girl, — "  This  is  my  daughter,  and  I 
feel  sure  you  will  soon  be  good  friends." 

For  a  moment  all  was  blurred  to  Priscilla's 
vision.  The  mockingbird's  roulades  from  a 
neighboring  tree  seemed  faint  and  far  away. 
Then  she  took  a  deep  breath  and  looked  at  the 
girl.  A  face  was  upturned  to  hers  in  which 
beauty  and  bloom  were  combined  with  the 
weakness  of  a  child.  A  pair  of  dark  eyes 
searching  hers  with  some  timidity.  Priscilla 
held  out  her  hand.  "  This  is  of  course  a  sur 
prise  to  me."  With  rather  an  ironic  smile  she 
turned  to  her  father.  "  I  will  try  to  be  a  good 
mother  to  your  wife," — then  turned  and  fled  up 
the  creaking  stairs  to  her  room. 

For  several  days  they  all  three  were  self- 
conscious,  but  they  soon,  at  least  outwardly, 
adapted  themselves  to  circumstances.  Car- 
mona  soon  forgot  any  awkwardness  of  her  po 
sition  and  flitted  about  the  once  quiet  house  like 
a  bird  of  brilliant  plumage.  She  was  the  " 
170 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

daughter  of  the  light-house  keeper  and  had  a 
little  patrimony  of  her  own.  A  piano  was 
bought,  and  soon  waltzes  and  negro  melodies 
echoed  through  the  rooms,  which  before  had 
only  resounded  to  the  stately  tunes  of  "  China," 
These  two  women  could  not  understand  each 
other.  One  grave,  methodical,  with  a  con 
science  keenly  alive  to  all  deviations  from  the 
strictest  propriety:  the  other  gay,  inconse 
quent,  oblivious  of  everything  save  the  amu 
sing  side  of  life.  But  Priscilla  came  gradually 
to  like  the  girl,  from  the  very  necessity  of  car 
ing  for  her.  The  gay  little  gowns  were  to  be 
mended  and  the  rooms  tidied  up  after  her 
twenty  times  a  day.  Carmona  would  lie  about 
like  a  kitten,  watching  Priscilla,  and  asking 
curious  questions.  Of  course  she  was  a  Ro 
manist,  but  hardly  an  orthodox  one.  She  had 
somewhat  audacious  ideas  of  her  own  in  regard 
to  right  and  wrong,  and  an  accommodating 
conscience,  which  was  apt  to  stretch  to  suit  the 
exigencies  of  the  hour.  Priscilla' s  unswerving 
code  of  religion  and  life  she  felt  to  be  unrea- 
171 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

sonable,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  say  so.  Pris- 
cilla  felt  in  a  way  responsible  for  these  here 
sies,  but  when  she  endeavored  to  enlighten  her 
young  step-mother,  she  was  met  by  a  light  rail 
lery  which  baffled  her. 

One  night  Priscilla  had  knelt  down  in  her 
room  for  her  nightly  prayer.  She  heard  the. 
door  open  and  Carmona's  soft  steps  enter  and 
pause  in  the  center  of  the  room.  She  kept  on 
to  the  audible  "  amen,"  and  rose.  The  girl  was 
standing  in  the  center  of  the  room,  with  dishev 
eled  curls,  and  with  a  sharp,  bird-like  expres 
sion  on  her  face. 

"  Aunt,"  she  said,  as  she  always  called  her, 
"  if  God  thinks  a  thing  good  for  you,  He  will 
give  it  won't  He?" 

"  Certainly  Carmona,"  Priscilla  answered. 

"  And  if  He  thinks  a  thing  bad  for  you,  He 
won't  give  it,  will  He  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not." 

"  Then  what  is  the  use  of  asking  Him  at  all, 
if  He  always  does  as  He  likes?  Isn't  it  rather 
interfering  with  His  business  ?  " 
172 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

The  curious  eyes  searched  hers  with  inno 
cent  inquiry,  but,  as  often  before,  Priscilla 
could  not  know  how  much  was  jest  or  how 
much  was  earnestness.  She  endeavored  to  in 
culcate  some  idea  of  the  reality  and  importance 
of  life  into  the  girl's  empty  mind,  but  in  vain. 
She  preferred  chattering  to  her  girl  friends, 
who  now  habitually  loitered  away  their  days 
in  Priscilla's  well-ordered  premises. 

A  year  passed,  and  a  son  was  born;  named 
by  Priscilla,  Benjamin  Alden.  She  dreaded  the 
child  having  a  foreign  name  and  was  rejoiced 
that  his  mother  made  no  objection.  Carmona 
regarded  the  child  as  a  new  plaything,  and  as 
he  grew  older  they  would  roll  and  tumble  about 
together  in  the  sun  like  two  kittens.  The  care 
of  the  baby  fell  naturally  on  Priscilla's  should 
ers,  and  she  poured  out  upon  him  all  the  affec 
tion  of  her  famished  heart.  She  carried  him 
about  in  her  long,  lean  arms,  crooning  baby 
songs  in  a  voice  which  grew  musical  only  in 
his  service.  The  child  slept  in  her  arms  at 
night,  and  the  happiest  hours  of  her  day  was 
173 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

when  he  waked  her  in  the  morning,  cooing  and 
gurgling  with  laughter — clutching  with  baby 
ringers  at  her  gray  wisps  of  hair. 

When  the  child  was  a  year  old,  her  father, 
too,  went  to  sleep  beside  her  mother  in  the 
shadow  of  the  hoary  live-oaks,  and  the  long, 
gray  moss  swayed  alike  over  them  both.  It 
was  then  that  Priscilla  might  have  given  up, 
had  not  baby  fingers  held  her  to  life  with 
powerful  persuasion.  Carmona  crept  about  the 
house  with  awe  for  awhile,  and  the  guitar  and 
piano  grew  tuneless  and  silent.  But  the  girl's 
nature  rebelled  against  continued  gravity,  and 
in  a  few  months  her  shallowness  asserted 
itself,  and  she  was  as  light-hearted  as  ever. 

All  Priscilla's  thoughts  now  centered  in  the 
boy.  She  worked  and  economized,  that  he 
might  be  educated  and  trained  as  befitted  an 
Alden.  The  austere  eyes  of  her  Puritan  an 
cestors,  she  felt,  followed  her  in  dumb  warning 
as  to  the  responsibility  in  bringing  up  this  boy, 
the  last  of  a  long  line  of  upright  gentlemen. 
How  she  watched  the  child's  nature  as  it  un- 
174 


•IN  THE  SHADOWS" 


PRISCILLA  ALVEN 

folded.  What  the  boy's  life  should  be  she  had 
not  yet  determined,  but  slowly  a  '  resolution 
formed  in  her  mind  to  send  him  at  the  proper 
time  North,  to  Harvard,  where  he  should  be 
fitted  for  some  profession.  That  he  should  be 
a  loyal  American  she  was  determined.  No  be 
lief  in  slavery  or  Southern  shiftlessness  would 
she  allow  to  grow  in  his  nature — not  a  germ  of 
it.  She  would  do  what  she  could  to  engraft 
Northern  ideas  and  principles. 

The  boy  was  dimly  aware  of  the  wealth  of 
affection  this  quiet  woman  gave  him,  and,  after 
a  fashion,  returned  it.  He  rebelled  at  times 
against  the  strict  habits  she  enforced;  the  reg 
ular  hours  of  study,  and  the  watchful  care  as  to 
his  companions.  Sometimes  when  he  was 
called  from  some  boyish  game,  they  chaffed 
him.  Once  Priscilla  heard  a  boy  shout  after 
him :  "  Goodie,  goodie,  go  home  to  the  Yan 
kee." 

He  whirled  about  and  with  eyes  aflame 
rushed  at  the  taunter.  "  You  speak  properly  of 
my  Aunt,"  he  cried,  glaring  over  his  prostrate 
175 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

foe,  "  and  you  apologize,  too,  before  you  get  up, 
you  puppy." 

His  anger  was  so  quick  to  act  and  his  fist  was 
so  hard,  that  they  soon  learned  to  suppress  their 
sentiments  toward  the  "  queer  Yankee  woman." 


176 


Chapter  III 


OF  course  Carmona  would  marry  again : 
that  fact  made  itself  evident  after  two 
months  of  widowhood.  Among  the 
number  of  young  fellows  who  now  haunted 
the  house,  "a  courtin'"  the  pretty  widow,  a  tall, 
lithe  fellow  named  Leon  Medici  was  most  per 
sistent.  He  had  much  the  same  style  of  pic 
turesque  beauty  as  Carmona,  but  marred  it  by 
flaring  collars,  gaudy  waistcoats,  and  a  general 
air  of  cheap  splendor.  His  tight  trousers,  which 
flared  over  his  little,  high-heeled  boots,  were 
Priscilla's  abhorrence,  but  the  good-natured  fel 
low,  with  his  flashing  smile  and  seraph's  voice, 
seemed  to  find  special  favor  in  Carmona's  eyes. 
He  kept  the  principal  cigar  store  of  the  place 
and  was  fairly  prosperous.  Young  Medici 
spent  most  of  his  time  under  the  orange-trees 
in  the  garden,  singing  like  an  angel  to  Car 
mona's  newly  strung  guitar,  and  showered 
pop-guns  and  whistles  in  generous  profusion 
on  young  Benjamin.  He  took  the  girl  buggy- 
177 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

driving  and  did  his  best  to  ruin  her  digestion 
by  copious  treats  of  soda-water  and  bad  ice 
cream.  Priscilla  saw  how  things  were  going, 
but  Carmona  would  only  laugh  and  toss  her 
head  in  good-natured  derision  of  any  such  pos 
sibility. 

One  morning  the  girl  came  down  late  to 
breakfast,  a  look  of  brilliant  happiness  in  her 
eyes.  She  caught  Priscilla  nearly  off  her  feet  in 
a  wild  embrace,  and  then  held  up  her  left  hand, 
on  which  sparkled  a  new  amethyst  ring. 

"Leon  Medici?"  Priscilla  asked.  "Of 
course,"  was  the  ecstatic  rejoinder. 

In  the  busy  weeks  which  followed,  the  house 
was  gay  with  echoing  voices  and  stuffs  of  every 
hue.  In  all  the  bustle  and  confusion,  one 
thought  haunted  Priscilla.  "  Was  the  boy  to 
be  taken  away  ?  "  She  could  not  bring  herself 
to  ask  Carmona  the  question,  but  at  night,  star 
ing  into  the  darkness,  she  wondered  with  dull 
pain  if  she  was  to  lose  him.  All  day  long, 
while  busy  in  a  thousand  ways,  the  thought 
was  a  leaden  weight  on  her  heart.  She  hoped 
178 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

Carmona  would  speak  of  it,  but  the  evening 
before  the  wedding  came,  and  the  question  had 
not  been  asked.  She  waited  till  Carmona  came 
in  from  the  garden,  and  stood  trembling  as  they 
lit  their  candles.  Something  in  her  look  at 
tracted  Carmona' s  attention. 

"  What  is  it,  Aunt  ? — you  look  as  though 
you  had  seen  a  spook." 

She  could  only  answer  with  a  pallid  smile, 
as  together  they  mounted  the  stairs.  Priscilla 
kissed  the  girl  at  her  door. 

"  I  hope  you  will  be  very  happy,"  she  said; 
then  turned  brusquely  and  passed  into  her  own 
room. 

She  could  not  sleep  or  even  undress ;  but  sat 
at  the  window  watching,  with  unseeing  eyes, 
the  moon-flowers  opening  their  petals  to  the 
moist,  night  air. 

At  last  she  rose  stiffly,  and  crossing  the  hall 
to  Carmona's  door  softly  opened  it.  The  Ma 
donna  above  the  bed  stretched  protecting  arms 
in  the  dim  light.  Priscilla's  heart  seemed  to 
stop  its  beating  as  she  stood  there.  All  her 
179 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

happiness  lay  in  this  childish  creature's  will. 
She  fell  on  her  knees  with  a  loud  sob.  Car- 
mona  woke  with  a  start. 

"What  is  it?"  she  cried. 

"  Oh,  Carmona,  you  won't  take  my  boy 
away?  You  will  leave  him  with  me,  won't 
you  ?  He  loves  me  and  I'll  give  him  all  I  have : 
all  my  care,  all  my  love — only  leave  him." 

Carmona  sat  up  and  stared  at  her  half  fright* 
ened  and  not  wholly  awake. 

"  Take  him  from  you,  of  course  not.  I 
shouldn't  know  how  to  care  for  him.  I  can 
see  him  when  I  like,  I  suppose.  Is  that  what  is 
troubling  you  ?  " 

With  careless  tenderness  she  soothed  Pris- 
cilla's  sobbing,  for  now  the  tears  flowed  freely, 
carrying  a  load  of  pain  from  her  over-burdened 
heart. 


180 


Chapter  IV 


AFTER  the  merry  wedding,  the  house 
settled  back  into  something  of  its  old 
quiet.  Priscilla  now  gave  herself  to 
the  one  absorbing  purpose  of  her  life ;  the  care 
and  education  of  the  boy.  There  was  no  school 
save  the  parish  school  and  the  convent,  and  she 
was  puzzled  as  to  the  groundwork  for  his  col 
lege  education,  when  she  bethought  herself  of 
Dr.  Rankin.  She  went  to  see  him  in  the  new 
parsonage  under  the  palms,  to  ask  if  he  would 
teach  her  boy.  The  old  man  beamed  at  her 
over  his  spectacles,  delighted  with  the  idea, 
and  so  it  was  arranged,  greatly  to  her  satisfac 
tion. 

And  now  began  her  struggle  to  get  together 
the  money  to  pay  for  his  coming  college  ex 
penses.  It  was  a  long  succession  of  secret  self- 
denial.  She  made  all  her  own  and  his  clothes, 
and  learned  to  weave  palmetto  leaves  into 
baskets.  Her  too  luxurious  tea  was  given  up ; 
also  her  "  Boston  Evening  Transcript,"  which 
181 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

had  been  the  one  connecting  link  with  the  out 
side  world.  To  save  buying  vegetables  she 
planted  a  plot  in  her  garden,  and  her  tall  figure 
was  a  familiar  sight,  bending  over  rake  or  hoe. 
It  was  a  wearisome  waiting  as  the  cents  grew 
into  dollars,  which  every  Saturday  night  she 
carried  to  the  bank. 

She  kept  the  boy  as  much  with  her  as  pos 
sible,  taking  long  walks  with  him  and  telling 
him  of  the  far-away  world  in  the  North,  and 
how  men  lived  earnestly  and  with  purpose 
among  those  granite  hills  where  his  forefathers 
were  born.  She  kept  before  his  eyes  the  honor 
and  heroic  independence  of  those  upright  Pur 
itans,  and  drew  graphic  pictures  of  what  his 
life  should  be,  when  he,  their  worthy  descend 
ant,  should,  in  his  turn,  take  an  active  part  in 
the  stirring  life  of  the  North. 

And  the  lad's  cheeks  would  glow  and  his 
eyes  kindle  as  he  listened.  How  impatiently 
he  longed  for  his  emancipation,  and  to  what 
glorious  heights  would  he  attain.  There  was 
no  limit  to  his  ambition;  his  fervent  nature 
only  dreaded  inaction. 

182 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  first  distant  mut- 
terings  of  the  coming  political  storm  were 
heard.  The  anti-slavery  questions  held  the 
minds  of  the  country.  Thrice  a  week  when  the 
mail  came,  papers  were  received  full  of  bitter 
editorials.  Priscilla  knew  but  little  of  it, — it 
hardly  reached  her.  She  saw  men  talking  in 
excited  knots  on  the  Plaza  and  knew  that  in 
the  Town  Hall  meetings  were  held  at  night, 
where  violent  harangues  were  delivered.  Ben 
jamin  now  spent  many  of  his  evenings  there 
and  would  come  in  late,  his  eyes  shining,  but 
told  her  little  of  what  he  heard  and  saw.  She 
would  smooth  his  tossed  curls  with  gentle  touch 
and  say: — 

"  I  have  longed  all  these  years,  dear,  for  this 
deliverance  from  evil." 

But  Benjamin  evidently  did  not  take  to  poli 
tics  and  cared  but  little  to  talk  on  that  subject. 

At  last  the  storm  broke,  and  war  was  de 
clared.  When  Priscilla  heard  of  the  first  shot 
at  her  country's  flag  on  Fort  Sumter,  a  thrill 
of  indignation  shook  her  loyal  soul.  Troops 
[were  forming  all  over  the  country:  men  were 
183 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

leaving  their  homes  and  business  to  fight  for 
their  individual  ideas  of  right  and  wrong.  Gray 
coats  formed  and  drilled,  and  Confederate  flags 
floated  from  every  roof. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  clamor  and  warlike 
confusion,  a  stinging  doubt  knocked  at  the 
door  of  the  woman's  conscience.  Ought  not 
Benjamin,  to  fight  for  those  Northern  prin 
ciples  which  she  had  trained  him  to  revere? 

She  paced  the  narrow  garden  paths,  anxious 
and  undone.  At  last  she  decided  that  the  honor 
of  self-sacrifice  should  be  his  alone  and  put  the 
vexed  question  away.  The  following  Autumn 
he  would  leave  her  for  his  college  life.  The 
money  was  almost  ready  and  she  was  almost 
glad,  for  the  young  fellow  seemed  sadly  in  need 
of  change  and  a  wider  field  of  study.  Beside, 
he  was  not  as  robust  and  merry  as  usual, — he 
was  silent  and  moody.  She  sometimes  thought 
she  saw  a  strange  regret  in  his  eyes. 

One  night  he  stayed  out  later   than    usual, 
and,  becoming  anxious,  she  went  to  the  Plaza 
where  the  towns-people  congregated.     At  the 
184 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

end  of  the  square  opposite  a  crowd  was  listen 
ing  to  the  Mayor  and  applauding  as  he  made 
some  virulent  remark  about  the  North.  Pris- 
cilla  saw  Carmona,  her  husband  and  Benjamin 
on  the  edge  of  the  crowd,  and  she  watched 
them  with  a  feeling  of  uneasiness.  Leon  was 
talking  excitedly  and  Benjamin  seemed  to  listen 
with  interest.  Priscilla  turned  away  and  hur 
ried  home.  She  went  to  her  room  but  did  not 
undress  and  sat  in  the  darkness,  listening  for 
Benjamin's  steps. 

He  always  came  in  for  her  good-night  kiss 
and  "  God  keep  you  "  before  going  to  his  own 
room.  An  hour  went  by,  and  she  heard  the 
gate  latch  and  the  door-key  turn  in  its  lock. 
Then  his  slow  steps  up  the  stairs.  But  on 
the  landing  they  ceased.  She  heard  him  hesi 
tate,  take  a  few  steps  toward  her  door,  and  then 
pass  on  to  his  room.  She  wondered  at  this, 
but  concluded  he  thought  her  asleep  and  wished 
not  to  disturb  her. 

The  next  morning  she  cautioned  him  against 
listening  to  such  speeches  as  she  had  heard 
185 


AMONG  THE  PALMS 

the  evening  before,  but  he  showed  the  same 
lack  of  interest  in  the  subject,  and,  embracing 
her  with  more  than  his  usual  ardor,  took  his 
books  and  started  for  Dr.  Rankin's. 

He  did  not  return  at  noon,  and  twilight 
deepened,  but  no  light  step  came  up  the  path. 
All  night  she  sat  waiting  for  him,  with  a  fear 
which  grew  and  stifled  her,  but  dawn  crept 
into  the  sky  and  he  had  not  come.  That  terror 
crept  higher  and  higher  in  her  heart,  dulling 
every  other  sense.  At  last  as  the  sun  rose,  a 
disk  of  red  in  the  East,  she  went  out.  She  had 
tasted  no  food  since  the  previous  day  and  sud 
denly  felt  old  and  feeble  and  tottered  slightly 
as  she  walked.  By  the  Cathedral  a  group  of 
people  she  knew  were  talking.  They  saw  her 
coming  and  looked  with  curious  pity  at  her 
quaint  figure  as  she  approached.  She  could 
hear  the  fountain's  drowsy  splash  and  the 
muffled  notes  of  the  organ  through  the  church's 
open  windows. 

"  I  am  anxious  about  my  Benjamin,"  she  said 


186 


PRISCILLA  ALDEN 

tremulously.     "  He  did  not  come  home  last 
night." 

They  looked  at  one  another.  "  Holy  Mary !  " 
a  woman  whispered,  "  she  doesn't  know." 

Then  a  stout,  black-whiskered  man,  whom 
she  remembered  as  the  violent  speaker  at  the 
meeting  on  the  Plaza,  broke  into  a  coarse  laugh. 

"  Miss  Alden,  your  boy  joined  the  Confed 
erate  army  and  marched  away  this  morning." 

A  shrill  cry  drowned  the  notes  of  the  organ. 
She  clutched  at  the  church  door  and  fell. 
*         *         * 

They  carried  her  home,  but  mind,  as  well  as 
heart,  was  broken.  She  still  lives,  an  old,  old 
woman.  I  saw  her  last  winter,  a  shrunken, 
old-fashioned  figure,  sitting  under  the  blossom 
ing  oleanders,  in  the  garden  of  the  Tampa,  Bay 
Hotel,  with  the  good-natured  Carmona,  who 
humors  her  by  talking  of  Benjamin.  She  still 
guards  the  money  for  him,  whom  she  expects 
to  return  in  the  old,  shambling  coach  of  other 
days. 

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